


An Inaudible Irritation

by Queenzie



Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), Robin: Son of Batman (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, American Sign Language, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Deaf Character, Depression, Domestic Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fights, Gen, Mild Smut, Past Child Abuse, Repressed Memories, Slow Build, Social Anxiety, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 27,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27187342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenzie/pseuds/Queenzie
Summary: Rachel Roth didn't expect to ever enjoy attending high school. That changes when she meets a deaf boy named Damian Wayne. Upon meeting him, she decides that her goal is to befriend him. No matter how annoying he thinks she is.
Relationships: Garfield Logan & Raven, Koriand'r/Dick Grayson (background), Maya Ducard & Damian Wayne, Raven/Damian Wayne
Comments: 77
Kudos: 197





	1. Introduction

With the end of summer break came the start of a new semester of school. 

Raven, or rather Rachel, as she goes by in public, dreaded today. Not only was she a social outcast, but she didn’t fit in. At all. Just because she wore a uniform didn’t mean she felt like she belonged there. 

In all honesty, Raven has never felt like she belonged anywhere. Not as Raven or Rachel Roth. Either way, she was the daughter of darkness. That was something she couldn’t just ignore. 

Going to public school was an idea from her legal guardian, Kory. The older girl had taken Raven into her own home like a younger sister. When she came to Earth, Kory’s team of teenage superheroes, the Teen Titans, welcomed her with open arms, despite where she was from and what she was capable of. 

“Just please try to be a normal teenager, Raven, and make some new friends,” Kory said as she came to a stop in the car. “I want to see you happy.” 

Raven looked at her, forcing a smile. “I’ll try my best,” she assured. Kory returned the smile as she watched her get out of the car. 

After Kory had dropped her off for the first day, she stood outside the large building, watching other teenagers around her age go inside the building with smiles on their faces. She took a deep breath before walking inside the doors of the building. 

Once she was handed her schedule, she made her way towards her new locker and started reading over the paper as she placed some of her things inside. Her mind calmed down once she saw what classes she had. English, History, Physical Education, and Chemistry. They weren’t too bad. Well, besides the gym class, anyways. 

She ended up finding an empty desk inside the English classroom and took a seat. While waiting on the teacher to show up, she let out a long yawn. 

After English came History, which was the most boring class Raven had ever been to. In fact, she got in trouble for falling asleep on the first day. Gym wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, the coach wasn’t harsh and gave them easy tasks. Although the bland uniform was quite humiliating. Lunch was definitely her favorite part of the day, considering that the school had a nice advantage for upperclassmen, which was allowing them to eat outside in the atrium. 

The day went on slowly, but Raven was finally in her last class of the day; Chemistry. 

“Rachel Roth,” the teacher called. 

Raven met his gaze before answering. “Present,” she sheepishly spoke. It was the first time she’d spoken in front of people today, considering she still hadn’t made a friend. 

The teacher checked off her name and continued calling roll. 

“Damian Wayne,” he called. When he got no response, he called it again. The boy in front of her hesitantly raised his hand and the teacher nodded and apologized before checking his name off. 

Raven rested her chin in her hand as her elbow was propped on the desk. The teacher had such a monotone voice that she could tell he would be boring. 

“I’m Mister Vincent. All you will need for this class is a composition notebook, binder, and pencils. I’ll provide everything else for you,” the teacher informed the class as he wrote his name on the board. 

Raven began to tune the teacher out after that. The school day was almost over and she couldn’t wait to go home and take a nap. 

All she could do was daydream about the rest of her day as the teacher rambled on. It wasn’t until the teacher called on her and the entire class looked back at her that she snapped out of her thoughts. 

“You may read now, Miss Roth,” Mr. Vincent informed her. 

Raven cleared her throat as she glanced down at the paper that had been passed out. The class syllabus. She took a deep breath before reading a random sentence of the letter. 

“Perfect,” Mr. Vincent complimented before moving onto the next student. Raven let out a relieved sigh as she sunk back in her chair. 

“Mister Darga,” Mr. Vincent called as he looked at the boy sitting next to Damian. 

The boy seemed to panic and looked over at Damian. “Um, where are we at?” he whispered. When Damian didn't respond, the boy nudged his shoulder. “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

Damian slowly turned his head to look at the boy, a confused expression on his face. People started turning their heads to look at the two boys. 

“Why are you giving me that stupid look?” the boy questioned as he stood up from his seat, glaring down at Damian. 

“Suren you’re a Junior, act like it,” Mr. Vincent ordered as he looked at the boy. 

Damian narrowed his eyes and stood up to face the boy who must be Suren. That’s when Suren started laughing. “You ain’t gonna do noth-“ Suren started to taunt, but was cut off as Damian swiftly raised a fist up and swung it across his face. 

The entire class watched the scene with wide eyes. 

Mr. Vincent slammed his fist against the chalkboard. “Enough! Both of you, go to the principal's office. Now. I will not tolerate such childish behavior in my classroom.” 

“Stupid punk,” Suren said as he pushed Damian against his desk before he grabbed his bag and stormed out of the classroom, making sure to slam the door behind him. 

Damian bent down to grab his things as well. Raven’s eyes widened the slightest when he met her gaze as he raised back up. That’s when she noticed the tiny device in his ear. She assumed it was a hearing aid- _Oh._

_He’s deaf._

She watched as he turned around and left the classroom as well, closing the door behind him. Other students around her were quietly gossiping back and forth. 

“Dude, Suren just got his shit rocked by a deaf kid!” a boy closeby said, causing a couple of others to giggle. 

“That’s enough,” Mr. Vincent scolded as he continued with his lecture as if the scene didn’t just happen. 

Raven tuned out everyone else as she sat back in her chair, letting her mind race with thoughts. 

_This was going to be a long semester._


	2. Encounter

A heavy silence filled the library as Raven was working on an essay for her English class. The teacher had assigned her a very vague topic and she had major writer's block. Luckily for her, the assignment wasn’t due for a few weeks. But, she was actually happy today. It was finally Friday, which meant the school week was just about over. She only had three more classes after this one ended and she was free from this boring prison they called school. 

An annoyed sigh left her lips when the lead of her wooden pencil snapped on the clean sheet of notebook paper. After looking around the library and making sure no one was watching her, she slowly moved to get up and go to the pencil sharpener. Once her pencil was sharp enough to her own satisfaction, she started making her way back to her seat. 

Before she sat down, she noticed Damian sitting at the table next to her. This surprised her because he hadn’t shown up to school for three days after the incident. He must’ve been suspended, she assumed, considering that Suren didn’t attend either. 

Her attention drifted to the piece of artwork he was working on. From where she was standing, she could see a really smooth and detailed drawing of a bird. 

Raven began to wonder if she should attempt to speak to him. Well, technically she would have to write to him. She had no knowledge whatsoever of sign language. The simple thought made her anxious. She hadn’t spoken to anyone at school besides teachers. 

Damian must’ve felt her stare because he soon stopped sketching and raised his head to meet her gaze. Raven felt her face start to get hot as she cleared her throat. She had no idea what to say or do. 

After taking a deep breath she shakily grabbed her notebook and flipped to a clean page before writing on it. Once she was done, she carefully approached the table and placed the notebook in front of him for him to read. 

_I’m Rachel Roth. I sit behind you in Chemistry._

When he looked away and started drawing again, she mentally scolded herself. That was stupid. 

“I’m deaf, not blind,” Damian vocally responded as he worked on his art. Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice. It was smooth and clear, not exactly what she’d expected. She hesitantly turned the notebook back around and wrote something else. 

_Sorry. I was just wondering if you needed notes or anything to catch up on the days you missed._

Damian briefly scanned over the words as he looked through his different types of art pencils. “My father came by to pick up my missing work,” he answered. 

Raven let out a small sigh. It was easy to tell that he was uninterested in communicating with her. Even then, she added a sentence to the paper that they were exchanging.

_Do you want to be friends?_

Her eyes watched him carefully as he read the newly written words. She was nervous about his next response. 

“Look, if you’re only trying to talk to me because you pity me, then leave me alone,” he said and pushed the notebook away. “I’m trying to work if you couldn't tell.” 

Raven’s eyebrows raised at the assumption and shook her head. “That’s not-“ she started as she grew frustrated and sloppily wrote something else. 

_That’s not the reason why I came over here. I thought maybe you’d want some company._

After that, he completely ignored her presence. When she noticed this she stopped bothering to communicate with him any longer. 

Raven grabbed her notebook and sat back down in her seat before putting her earbuds in to listen to music as she attempted to write her essay again. She tore the page they were using out of her notebook and crammed it down in her bookbag. 

* * *

The rest of the day was quite uneventful for Raven. 

“How was school?” Kory asked as Raven walked into the door of their apartment. 

Raven tossed her bookbag on the floor and slid off her shoes. “Boring like always,” she answered and sat down on the couch. 

Kory smiled and sat down beside the younger girl. “Oh come on, I doubt that. Have you made any friends?” 

“Nope,” Raven replied and grabbed the remote to turn on the television. “I actually tried to today, but nobody really seems interested.” 

“You will eventually,” Kory assured and stood up. “I’m gonna go make some lunch. Want a sandwich?” 

“No thanks,” Raven answered and laid back on the back, finally relaxing. She pulled her legs up and curled up, getting comfortable enough to take a nap. 

When Kory came back into the living room, she smiled as she placed her plate of food down on the coffee table and draped a blanket over Raven’s sleeping body. 

* * *

Dick’s training came to a stop when he heard the sound of the front door of his duplex opening. 

Damian closed the door behind him and met Dick’s watchful gaze. “What?” 

Dick wiped the sweat from his forehead with the collar of his tank top before using his hands to communicate with his younger brother. 

“ _Was today better?_ ” Dick signed. 

“No,” Damian vocally answered and began to make his way towards the staircase. Dick frowned as he watched the boy slowly climb the stairs. 

It didn’t take long for Damian to return downstairs in a tank top and sweatpants. A grin made its way to Dick’s face. 

The two of them began to workout in comfortable silence. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Date Night

When adults say that high school practically flies by, they’re not lying. Raven was so distracted by her studies that she didn’t even notice the changing of seasons. Summer was slowly but surely turning into Autumn. 

As soon as Raven stepped foot in the door of their apartment, Kory rushed over to her. “Quick, help me find an outfit to wear!” she pleaded and grabbed the younger girl's hand. 

“Whoa, Kory, what’s happening?” Raven questioned as she was dragged to Kory’s closet. She wasn’t even given enough time to take her shoes off. 

A nervous smile made its way to Kory’s face. “Dick is coming over for dinner tonight,” she informed her as she rummaged through her wardrobe. 

“Oh,” Raven said as she started eyeing the clothes. “Just wear something casual, you look great in anything.” 

Kory pulled a shirt from the hanger and held it up to herself. “Is this good?” she asked. 

“I like it,” Raven answered and let her lips curl into a smile. “Jeans would look good with it.” 

“Thank you,” she said and grabbed a pair of jeans before heading into the bathroom to change. “You know, he’s bringing his younger brother over too. I think he said you two go to school together.” 

Raven’s face scrunched up at the words. _Great, now she had to socialize with another person._

Once Kory opened the door she continued speaking. “Maybe you can make a new friend,” she innocently suggested as she looked through her selection of shoes. 

“Yeah,” Raven forced herself to reply. 

Kory went into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets as Raven went into her bedroom. This was the first time they would be having company over in at least a year. 

Immediately after closing the door, she changed out of her school uniform, then let herself fall backwards onto her bed. Usually she took a nap after school, so now she had no idea what to do to pass the time. 

The sound of someone knocking on the front door pulled her out of her thoughts. “Raven, can you get that, please?” Kory called from outside her room. 

Raven slowly got up and made her way out of her room and towards the door.   
With one swift turn, she opened the door and met Dick’s gaze. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Raven simply responded and opened the door wider. 

“Sorry, I know we’re early,” Dick said and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. A bouquet of neatly arranged colorful flowers was in one of his hands. 

“It’s okay,” Raven assured him and gestured towards the kitchen opening. “Kory’s in the kitchen.” 

“Alright,” Dick replied and walked in the doorway. He looked behind him and gestured for someone to follow him. “Come on, Damian.” 

Raven could have sworn her heart stopped in her chest when the name had made its way to her ears. Her eyes widened the slightest as she gulped. _No. Not him. Please God, not him._

Damian hesitantly stepped through the doorway and met Raven’s nervous stare briefly before following his older brother into the kitchen. Raven let out a sigh as she closed the door behind the two boys. _Great._

Slowly she made her way into the kitchen and took a seat at the opposite end of the table as the two boys. Kory was standing in front of the stove, a nervous expression on her face. 

“I am making spaghetti,” Kory informed as she placed the flowers Dick had given her in a glass vase full of water. 

Dick smiled warmly at her. “That sounds great,” he said. He then turned to Damian and used his hands to sign something to him. All Damian did in response was shrug before getting on his phone. Raven had no idea what Dick had told him, but she assumed he was translating for Kory. 

“I was thinking maybe we could all watch a movie after eating?” Kory suggested, looking over at Dick. “I’ll make some popcorn.” 

“I’m down,” he said and smiled at her. 

Raven scrunched her nose up slightly at the two. They acted like lovesick puppies. 

But, as long as Kory’s happy, Raven wasn’t going to complain. She truly deserved to be happy. 

Raven began to feel out of place sitting there so she stood up from her seat and went into the living room to sit down on the couch and began flipping through the channels of the television. She rested her elbow on the arm of the couch and laid her chin in her hand. 

A few moments later, Damian had left the kitchen as well and looked around the living room. When she noticed this, she picked the remote up again and turned it to where the television had subtitles. 

The couch shifted slightly as Damian silently sat down on the opposite end. His eyes were glued to the screen. The two of them didn’t say a word as a show played. 

The sound of a fire alarm going off and the smell of smoke quickly gained the teen's attention. Raven quickly got up and made her way to the kitchen. Damian followed close behind. 

Raven watched as both Dick and Kory frantically tried putting the fire out on the stove. Damian rushed over to grab the fire extinguisher from the wall and swiftly put out the fire. 

“Thank you,” Kory spoke as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dick nervously laughed as he patted Kory on the back. “Uh, how about we order some take out instead?” 

Kory wore a frown. “Sorry, I guess I’m not as good at cooking as I’d hoped,” she said. 

“Don’t sweat it, babe,” Dick replied and smiled at her. “I’m sure you’ll get better. Cook for me all you want, I’ll eat every bite.” 

Raven held back a laugh. Dick clearly hasn’t eaten any of her cooking before, or he wouldn’t have said that. 

“What about... pizza?” Kory suggested and looked at everyone. 

“I’ll buy,” Dick decided as he pulled his phone from out of his pocket before dialing a number. 

As Kory began cleaning up the mess, Dick hung up the phone after he’d placed an order. “They said it would be ready in fifteen minutes,” he informed. 

“I can go pick it up,” Raven offered. This was her perfect opportunity to get out of the house. 

Dick’s eyes lit up. “Really?” he asked. 

Raven nodded. “I don’t mind. It’s not that far from here. I can walk.” 

“Oh,” Dick replied before glancing over at Damian. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to have to go alone.” 

_No!_

Dick then started to move his hands to sign. Damian just stared at him with an annoyed expression. Raven had no idea what was being said. Dick seemed like he was requesting something. 

The two of them continued to sign back and forth until finally, Damian seemed to have given in to his older brother's request. “Great,” Dick said and looked at Raven, “Here’s the money to pay for it. You can give them the rest as a tip.” 

Raven took the money he handed her and stuck it down neatly inside her jeans pocket. “I’ll be back,” she said before making her way towards the door. Damian sent Dick a glare before following her, shutting the door behind them as they walked outside. 

Yellow leaves blew gently on the ground as they walked down one of the sidewalks of Jump City. She hadn’t really paid attention to the trees until now. Probably because the entire walk there was silent. Even if she did try to talk with him, he would just push her away again. There was no point. 

Raven was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize they had passed the pizza shop. Now it was going to be even more awkward. 

Taking a deep breath, she came to a stop and turned around. 

“I was wondering when you’d realize,” Damian smartly commented. Raven turned her head to glare at him, earning a sly smirk from the boy. She went to respond, but closed her mouth instantly and kept walking, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her annoyed expression. 

Damian waited outside while Raven walked inside and paid for their dinner. After placing the change into the tip jar, she made her way out and searched for Damian. He was gone. 

Letting out a sigh, she started to walk back home alone. _Whatever. She didn’t want his company anyways._

Before she could get any further, she spotted him on the side of the sidewalk. He was almost unrecognizable without the formal school uniform on. His black hood was pulled up over his head to where she could only see a quarter of his face. She also noticed that he was not wearing a hearing aid. He was bent down, petting a stray cat. The most surprising part to her was the faint smile on his lips. 

This boy was truly a mystery. 

Hesitantly, she made her way over and tapped him on the shoulder. Once he noticed her presence he stood up and opened the pizza box that was in her hands, then pinched off a piece of a slice to feed to the cat. When the cat was done eating he wiped his greasy hands on his jeans. 

Raven assumed he was ready and closed the box before leading the way back to the apartment. The two were quiet as Damian trailed a few feet behind her, taking in her appearance. 

She wore combat boots, fishnet tights underneath her dark ripped jeans and a black top. Simple piercings lined her ears and she wore small amounts of eye makeup. Her sense style was definitely gothic, which Damian didn’t find surprising in the slightest. It actually suited her. After witnessing her like this, seeing her in her school uniform would be strange. 

When they walked over a bridge, Raven watched as the sun was slowly setting on the horizon of the cityline, causing the sky to change between different warm colors. Damian noticed her slow down and sighed as he stopped in his tracks. He looked over towards where her attention was and admired nature’s beauty as well. Once it disappeared, they continued walking. 

Eventually, the two of them made it back to Raven’s apartment and delivered the pizza to the kitchen. 

“Thanks Rae!” Dick said and placed the box in the table as Kory got dishes out. “Why’s there a bite taken out?” 

“I fed a stray,” Damian spoke after noticing Dick’s concerned expression. 

“Oh,” Dick said before he smiled, “Of course.” 

Kory dished out slices after everyone took a seat at the table and began to eat. Once they were done, Kory cleaned up and told Dick to go pick out a movie. 

“What type of movie do you like to watch?” Dick decided to ask. 

“Anything but comedy,” Raven answered after she took a seat on the couch on the opposite side from Damian. 

“Would a romance movie be too cheesy?” Dick asked another question as he flipped through the selections on the screen. 

“Kory loves romance movies,” Raven said. “But she also liked action. She hates horror.” 

Dick hummed as he looked through the options and finally picked one. “This looks interesting,” he commented. It was a mixture of both action and romance. 

Kory returned to the room with three bowls of popcorn and sat down next to Dick after handing Raven and Damian their separate bowls. “You can start now,” Kory informed as she watched Dick turn on the subtitles. 

The four of them quietly watched the movie and munched on their popcorn for two hours until it ended. The clock read nine o’ clock and Dick decided that him and his brother had stayed their welcome. 

“We should do this again sometime,” Dick suggested as he stood in front of Kory at the front door. Damian had already went outside to wait on his older brother. 

Kory smiled at him. “I agree,” she said, then added quietly, “Raven doesn’t have many friends besides from the team, so I think her meeting Damian might have been a good idea.” 

“Damian is very antisocial as well,” Dick replied and let out a sigh before looking over in Raven’s direction. 

“Maybe in a few weeks when you have more free time we can get together again,” Kory said and bent down the slightest to kiss him on the cheek. 

Dick grinned wide at the affection before walking over to the couch and tapping Raven on the shoulder. “I just want to say thanks for putting up with Damian. I know he’s a little hard to handle, but I promise you, he’s a really good kid.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Raven decided to say. “He doesn’t like me. I tried to talk to him at school but he pushes me away every time.” 

“He’s like that with everyone,” Dick assured her and let out a sigh. “You just have to break down those stone walls he builds. He’s worth the trouble.” 

Raven was quiet for a short moment before she finally responded. “Can you teach me sign language?” 

A smile tugged at the corner of Dick’s lips. “Sure, I don’t mind. How about a few days after school?” 

Raven meekly nodded. “Alright, I’ll text you when,” Dick said before turning around to leave. 

“I’ll see you soon,” Kory said and planted a kiss on his cheek before he walked out the door. Once the door was closed, Kory sat down on the couch next to Raven. 

“You two are trying again?” Raven decided to ask, meeting Kory’s gaze. 

“I guess so,” Kory replied in a hopeful tone. Her hands were placed neatly in her lap. “I think he’s ready for a more… committed relationship this time.” 

“He seems genuine,” Raven noted, looking away from her. 

Kory smiled at her comment. “That’s actually why he moved out here,” she said. 

Raven glanced at her again. “Really?” 

“Yes,” Kory answered, tucking a strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear. “He wants to help out with the team. Plus, Damian needed a new school to attend. Apparently he can’t stay in schools long because of fighting.” 

“I can tell,” Raven commented as she reflected on the first day of school. 

“Is he the one you said wouldn’t be your friend?” Kory suddenly asked, looking at the younger girl with a concerned expression. 

Raven quickly averted her gaze from her. “Yeah,” she simply answered. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re still trying,” Kory said and placed a hand in her shoulder. “From what I hear he’s a good kid.” 

“More like a brat,” Raven corrected as she stood up from her spot. “I’m going to head to bed. Goodnight, Kory.” 

“Goodnight,” Kory responded and watched as Raven fled to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. 

After getting ready for bed Raven laid flat on her bed, limbs sprawled out as her mind raced. 

She had many questions, but one thing was certain; this was going to be a pain in the ass. 


	4. Lessons

While Damian was at his fencing lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dick invited Raven over to learn sign language for two hours a day. Kory of course tagged along, getting any chance she could to see her star-crossed lover.

They made sure to keep it secret from Damian to save Raven from embarrassment, and Dick from a beating.

"It's actually simple," Kory noted one day as she paid attention. She couldn't learn the language by lip contact considering that it was spoken through hand movements, so she actually had to sit down and learn it.

"Less difficult than I expected," Raven agreed. Of course, she'd only learned a few sentences by now, but Dick had informed her that she was slowly improving.

"Are you guys hungry? I can run down the street to pick up some food," Kory spoke as she stood up from the couch.

"Anything is fine with me," Dick answered as he watched Kory grab her purse, a smile on his face. 

"You know what I like," Raven responded.

"Alright, I'll be back," Kory said before leaving the duplex. Once she was gone, Raven decided to ask a personal question.

"Does his hearing aid... help him?"

Dick met her curious gaze before answering. "No. The doctors suggested he wear it so that others would know that he can't hear well or at all. He has sensorineural hearing loss, which means he's completely deaf in both ears."

Raven processed what he'd said and decided to ask another question, despite the feeling that she was overstepping her boundaries. "Was he born deaf?"

Dick met her curious gaze, his smile fading. "No. He... had an accident a few years ago."

"Oh," Raven said and noticed his mood swiftly change. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," Dick responded. "It's just... no one would tell me how it happened. I mean, I'm his older brother. I really thought he would feel comfortable enough to tell me. We have a bond, you know?"

Raven was quiet for a moment before she finally came up with a response. "Maybe he feels weak," she suggested. "You are his older brother, so he doesn't want to seem vulnerable."

"Maybe," Dick said as let out a sigh. "I haven't asked him about it since. I figured he would tell me when he was ready."

The two were quiet for a moment before Dick spoke up again, changing the topic. "Anyways, does Kory ever talk about me?"

"Like you're the only guy she's ever met," Raven answered and let out a short laugh.

Dick's eyes lit up as he smiled at her response. "Really?"

Raven nodded. "I think you two are a good pair. Just don't break her heart, okay?"

"I promise I won't try to," Dick said and let out a sigh. "I'll never make that mistake again."

The sound of the front doorknob turning pulled both of them from their thoughts as they looked back at the door. Instead of Kory heading through the door with food, it was a sweaty Damian carrying his fencing equipment. He was wearing a personalized white and black uniform.

Dick stood up from the couch and faced the door. " _You're home early_ ," he signed.

"The instructor got sick," Damian informed as he set his bag down and shut the door behind him. "I presume Koriand'r is staying over," he pointed out after taking note of Raven's presence.

" _She went to get food_ ," Dick signed in response and watched as his younger brother disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of water before silently heading up the staircase.

Once the two of them heard the sound of the door click shut, Dick spoke. "I think it's best we continue our lesson Thursday," he said in a low voice. Raven quietly nodded in agreement and stayed on the couch while Dick went upstairs to check on his brother.

Moments later Kory came back through the front door, a bag of takeout in one hand. Raven noticed her confused expression. "He's upstairs," Raven informed her, then added, "With Damian."

"Oh," Kory said before walking over and setting the food down on the coffee table. "Well, I think I have enough subs for all of us."

The sound of a door slamming and then opening again startled both of the girls. They watched as Damian hustled down the staircase while Dick hurriedly tried to keep up behind him. He was holding a leash with a large black Great Dane attached to the end.

"I do not need your permission to go out," Damian said, not looking behind him, "You're not my dad."

Dick quickly went to grab the boy's hood but was too slow. The front door slammed in his face before he got the chance. He then turned to both Raven and Kory, an apologetic expression on his face. "Sorry about that," he nervously said and scratched the back of his head as he made his way over to the couch.

"It's okay," Kory assured him and placed her hand on his shoulder once he sat down. "What happened?"

"Just a small argument," Dick said and let out a sigh. "Thank you for the food."

"Of course," Kory replied and gave him a peck on the lips before handing out the individuality wrapped sandwiches.

* * *

"Eastside of Jump City is quiet," Raven spoke through her communicator.

"West side is too," Beast Boy added to the call and let out a long sigh afterward. "This is boring." 

"Blue Beetle, how is your side?" Starfire questioned.

"Just helped an old lady cross the street," Blue Beetle answered. "Most exciting thing that's happened to me tonight."

"I stopped a bank robbery," Superboy added after him. "I haven't seen any more crimes being committed since."

"Show off," Kid Flash spoke swiftly into the microphone.

"Okay. Let's all meet back at the tower. Our nightly patrol is completed," Starfire ordered before leaving the call on her end. The others followed shortly behind as they made their way back to Titans Tower.

Raven soared through the cool night sky, observing every little detail of the city below her. Just a mile away was the ocean, a stunning view at nighttime when the moon reflected on the water. The Bay Bridge wasn't far from her sight as well as it stretched proudly across the land and water.

The sight of bright colors moving rapidly across the rooftops caught her attention. Curious, she landed atop the last one she'd seen them and carefully studied the area. The figure swiftly jumped across the gap between the buildings and hooked onto a higher ground, their dark cape flowing behind them.

Before Raven could follow them, Starfire's voice was suddenly heard through the communicator's speaker. "The museum's alarm has been triggered, Titans go!"

She hesitated at first but eventually brought herself to stop tailing the colorful figure and headed to the new crime scene.


	5. Rorek

Raven dreaded every step she took with every fiber of her being.

Of course, Nightwing would get called on a mission while they were going over a lesson. That was just Raven's luck. Now she was obeying Dick's wish and going to pick up Damian from his fencing lesson.

The building was easy to find, which relieved Raven. Once inside, she was met with a room of only two people. Their graceful movements were almost in sync. Damian was amazing at this sport.

Raven stood there quietly for what seemed to be half of an hour before either of the two took notice of her presence. The shorter one approached her and raised his saber. She flinched, the blade mere centimeters away from the tip of her nose. "Why are _you_ here?" It was Damian.

" _Your brother told me to get you_ ," Raven nervously signed in response, hoping that she was making sense. She hadn't communicated with him like this before.

"I am not a child," he said as he lowered his saber and lifted his mask up over his head to reveal his sweaty face. "Leave."

"Actually," the instructor spoke and began cleaning up the equipment, "It's passed the time to conclude our lesson. I'll see you Tuesday."

Damian turned around, resisting the urge to argue. He grabbed his bag in annoyance and headed out the door, leaving Raven several steps behind. "You know, just because you learn sign language to talk to me doesn't make me instantly like you."

Raven raised an eyebrow at his words. She went to ask him what he meant, but he ignored her.

Once they reached his apartment, Damian stopped at the door and turned to face her. "Well, you can go home now. I'm sure Grayson will be satisfied."

"Why can't you be nice to me for once?" Raven grumbled out loud to herself. Her expression held an annoyed appearance.

"I don't like being looked down upon," Damian said in response.

Raven's eyes widened in response. "You can-"

"I can read lips, moron," Damian cut her off. "I may not be able to hear, but I can still see."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows at him. " _I learned because I thought you could use a friend,_ " she signed.

"I don't need a friend," Damian said before opening the door and taking a step inside the door frame. "Good-bye."

Raven wore an unamused expression as he closed the door. After this she started walking down the sidewalk.

The weather was pleasing today, so she decided to go to the park and read her book in peace and quiet. It would help her calm her mind. Trying to be friendly sure did stress her out.

Half of an hour passed as Raven was getting lost in her enchanting book. The sound of a girl shouting "Look out!" quickly pulled her out of her thoughts.

A baseball was swiftly moving towards a boy who was on his phone, paying no attention to the world around him. By the time he noticed, it would be too late.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" Raven quietly chanted as she used her power to stop the speeding ball, leaving it levitating in the air mere inches from his head.

They made eye contact briefly before Raven let the ball drop to the ground, watching as the other people around were confused.

Raven felt her heart beat faster as she watched the boy put his phone away and make his way over towards her. She really hated socializing with strangers. Especially now that he saw what she could do.

"Thank you. You saved me from a major headache," the boy said and flashed her a smile.

 _Wow, he's beautiful,_ Raven thought to herself as she admired him. He had shaggy, almost white blonde hair and deep blue eyes that were slightly decorated with black makeup. His dark colored sense of style matched her own. He looked to be a few years older than her, maybe in his early twenties, if even that.

"Not really," Raven shrugged it off, but he wasn't budging.

He slowly sat down next to her on the metal bench. "It's okay, you don't have to hide your power from me. I'm also a sorcerer."

Raven blinked. "Really?"

"Well, yes and no," he answered and chuckled at her shocked expression. "My name is Rorek."

"Rorek... like as in, _Rorek of Nol, the white wizard? From thousands of years ago?_ " she questioned, her eyes wide in amazement.

"You do your reading," Rorek commented and gave her a smile. That smile faded when he noticed her sheepishly avert her gaze. "It's not a bad thing, darling. I'm just surprised a girl so beautiful could read such ancient stories."

"B-Beautiful?" Raven stammered, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink as she tucked a strand of her colored hair behind her ear.

"I... lost my power," Rorek suddenly brought up, a frown on his face as he spoke. "From my battle with the evil dragon, Malchoir. He cursed me."

Raven glanced at him with a concerned look. "Can you get them back?"

"I need someone with greater power," Rorek said and let out a sigh. "I haven't found anyone like me."

Raven said and sat back in her seat. "Could I possibly help?"

"You would?" Rorek asked, his eyes lighting up.

"I can try," Raven responded and met his gaze. He was beaming with joy. "I'm Raven, by the way."

"You're such a sweetheart, Raven," Rorek said and smiled at her. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem," Raven assured him. "But, where would we start?"

"Well," Rorek began and pondered for a moment before responding. "How good are you with spells?"

Raven moved her gaze to the ground as she spoke. "Not as good as I wished," she admitted. "I only know the basics."

"I'll teach you everything I know," Rorek decided, smiling at her. Raven let out a small yawn, which gained his attention.

"Sorry, I haven't taken my daily nap," Raven said before letting out a nervous laugh.

Rorek chuckled at the comment. "Shall I walk you home?"

"If you want," Raven replied, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Rorek stood up from his spot and waited for her to get up as well. Once she gathered her things, she started leading him to her and Kory's apartment.

Raven suddenly pulled her hood up as she recognized someone they were about to pass on the sidewalk; Damian.

"Is something wrong?" Rorek asked, noticing her strange behavior.

"I know him," Raven answered and let out a sigh. "From school."

"Is he weird?" Rorek quietly asked.

"He's my friends' boyfriends' brother. I tried to be his friend, but he constantly pushes me away." Raven replied. "He's very stubborn."

"I see," Rorek said and looked at her with a gentle smile. "Well, Raven, I'll be your friend."

Raven felt her heart skip a beat at the sight. "Okay," she spoke before turning her head again, avoiding Damian's stare while they passed by him as he walked his dog on a leash. 

Damian raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look back at the two as they passed him by. A bad feeling pooled in his stomach at the sight, but he didn't know why.


	6. Spellbound

Since Damian lacked his sense of hearing, he paid attention to everything around him a lot more closely. He could easily remember things, no matter how small the detail.

For example, he quickly noticed when the annoying girl that sat behind him in Chemistry class stopped being an annoyance. It had been a week since their last encounter and she didn't seem interested in speaking to him anymore, and when her friend came over to his and Dick's duplex, she didn't tag along.

Not only that, but her behavior changed drastically. Instead of her usual depressing attitude, she seemed genuinely happy, which wasn't necessarily a bad sight. Her fingernails went from being chewed down to growing out and she smiled more often.

Damian thought this was a good thing. Now she had a friend and wouldn't be bugging him any longer.

Ever since his... incident, Damian didn't long for a friendship or any type of a relationship for that matter. Not even with his family. Sure, he loved them dearly, but he preferred his solitude. It was better that way. No one could hurt him, and he couldn't hurt anyone else. Ever again.

A shiver ran down Damian's bony spine as he began to remember the dreadful memory he'd always kept locked away in the back of his mind. No matter how much he tried to forget, that night would haunt him for as long as he'd live.

The feeling of someone gently tapping his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked over. A boy was trying to pass him the worksheets they were working on. Once he grabbed a copy for himself, he passed the stack behind him, not turning around in his seat to face her.

When class ended, Damian took notice of Rachel leaving with the blonde boy he saw her with the other day. Usually she would walk home by herself, but this was the third day the boy picked her up.

Damian wasn't jealous, but rather concerned. There was something about this boy that didn't sit right with him, and he didn't know what. Maybe it was the way he dressed, or maybe the way that he acted. Either way, Damian could detect his deceitful nature.

Grayson mentioned to him that the boy's name was Rorek, and he often came over to Koriand'r and Rachel's shared apartment to see Rachel. He was only a few years older than her, and knew a lot about magic, something Rachel was interested in.

When this continued for weeks, Damian decided to dig in deeper. Instead of spending his night locked away in his room, he snuck out of the duplex in his colorful vigilante suit and began to stealthily follow the boy after his visits with Rachel. To Damian's surprise, Rorek was normal.

When Rorek got back to his own house he would sit in his living room and read many different books. The books he read looked hundreds of years old, Damian had noted. He blamed school for making his perception sloppy.

* * *

A monster rampaged through Jump City, crushing every building or car in its path. People fled from the streets screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Titans, attack!" Starfire ordered as she soared through the night sky, using her starbolts to ambush the large creature. Superboy and Blue Beetle followed suit, while Beast Boy morphed into different animals, trying to take down the beats with his own versions.

Raven levitated, trying to think of the right spell to use. Rorek had been teaching her so many new ones that she was indecisive.

When she finally decided on one, she chanted it and let her dark energy behind consuming the monster as it held a small child in its grip.

The child screamed as it watched Raven's dark energy grow closer to her. Superboy noticed this and immediately tried to stop her. "Raven, stop!"

Raven's black eyes widened at the scene in front of her as she tried to regain control of herself, but couldn't. "I... can't," she murmured.

Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl as he grabbed Raven in his wings, pulling her out of the trance she was in. "Are you okay?" he asked once he took his human form again. The others went to save the child from the now unconscious monster.

"Yeah..." Raven said as she sat up, blinking a few times as her eyes went back to their normal shade of violet. "I... I don't know what happened there."

"Looks like you lost control," Beast Boy noted and looked at her with a worried expression. "What was that?"

Raven cleared her throat before answering. "I... learned a new spell." It wasn't a lie. If she told the team about her lessons with Rorek they would be outraged.

"Maybe you should go rest," Beast Boy said as he helped her up from the ground.

"I think I will," Raven lied before taking flight again. She flew across the city, searching for Rorek's house. Once she spotted it, she landed at the doorstep and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, Rorek answered, his face lighting up once he saw her. "Raven, my darling. What brings you here? I thought-"

"You taught me **dark magic**?!" Raven fumed, her eyebrows furrowing as she spoke. "I almost killed someone!"

"Hey," Rorek said and glanced around. "Maybe we should discuss this inside."

Raven let out a sigh to calm herself. Rorek opened the door wider and let her inside, closing it behind her.

"You told me you would teach me how to control my powers better. That was the first step in gaining yours back. You said **nothing** about dark magic."

"Darkness is misunderstood, remember? That's what you told me," Rorek mentioned. "We still have some things to work out."

"I know what I said, but... I can't risk killing someone, Rorek," Raven said, mentally scolding herself for letting her own words be repeated to her.

"Then we need to train more. I'm still cursed, and... you're still lonely," Rorek said, his hand resting on her caped shoulder as he met her gaze. "You don't want that, do you?"

Raven closed her eyes, tears threatening to escape as he gently placed a hand on her cheek. "No," the words left her nearly trembling lips in a whisper.

"Good," Rorek said as he used his other hand to wipe away a tear that slipped down her pale cheek. Rorek took advantage of her vulnerability and leaned down to close the gap between them, stealing her first kiss.

A blush crept onto Raven's face as she opened her eyes to look at him when he pulled away from her. "Why-"

"You're pretty when you cry," Rorek cut her off as he brushed her sleek locks of black hair from her face with his fingers. "You're so angelic, I couldn't resist."

"Angelic...?" Raven questioned his ironic choice of wording.

Rorek smiled warmly at her as he walked with her to the front door. "You should go home and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes," Raven decided before letting out a small yawn. Her energy was more drained than usual. "Good night."

"Good night, darling," Rorek said before shutting the door once she was outside.

Raven leaned against the outside of the door and took a deep breath, looking down at her shaking hands. The sound of a rock falling from the building in front of her caught her attention. Her eyes wandered to the top and she caught sight of the colorful vigilante yet again.

As soon as they made eye contact, he was as good as gone as he used his dark cape to cover himself while he ran across the rooftops. Raven rushed to the escape ladder and made her way up. Once she was up, she scanned around her surroundings in search of him.

"Hey!" she called out as she saw the dark figure leaping across the gap of two buildings closeby. She dashed after him, but soon ran out of energy just a few feet away from him. "Stop..." she rasped, trying to catch her breath.

To her surprise, he eventually stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. She lifted her head up and was met with disappointment. He had his black hood pulled over his head, almost completely hiding his face from view. With the help of the rooftop lights, all she could make out was the yellow 'R' symbol on his chest.

"Why are you watching me?" she finally decided to ask.

The vigilante was silent. Raven couldn't tell if he was avoiding her question or if he didn't hear her. Before she could say anything else, he pulled something out from his utility belt. He tossed small metallic beads towards her, and in seconds, smoke filled the area. Once the smoke cleared he vanished from sight.

"Nice chat," Raven sarcastically commented to herself and let out a sigh of defeat as she looked up at the starry night sky.

* * *

After taking a shower, Raven got dressed for bed and laid down on the sheeted mattress, her gaze fixed on the ceiling as her mind raced. The events from today were stressing her out to where she began to chew on her fingernails again.

The sound of her phone vibrating in the nightstand pulled her out of her thoughts. She rolled over and grabbed her phone. A text message.

_I hope you sleep well, Angel._   
_-Rorek_

The simple message made Raven's lips curl into a smile as she laid her phone on her chest and let her eyelids fall closed. For once, her heart and mind were calm enough for her to get a good nights rest.


	7. Unleashing the Beast

The bright computer screen lit the darkened room up as Damian’s eyes frantically moved across the words. He had been reading up on the story of Rorek of Nol, the Egyptian wizard who defeated the great dragon Malchior. 

His eyebrows furrowed once he reached the ending. It turned out that Rorek didn’t actually defeat the dragon. Instead, Rorek cursed the dragon to his own spellbook, and Rorek died from old age over a thousand years ago. 

Once he was finished reading the story, he opened up a new tab and began to search the Teen Titans, or more specifically, Raven. 

After seeing her appearance last night Damian was scolding himself for not knowing sooner the true identity of ‘Rachel Roth’. This website was made by fans, but it seemed to be relatively accurate. After reading every power she possessed down the list, everything started to piece together. 

Melchior had been released from his book, and took the human form of Rorek, but needed someone else to finish the job. Someone who possessed great power and was easy to manipulate; Raven. He was using her. 

Now the question was should he swallow his pride and tell her, or deal with the deceitful monster himself? That was a hard decision. 

The late time caught his eyes and he closed the lid of his laptop. If he didn’t begin getting ready for bed he would be late for school tomorrow, which meant Grayson would scold him. 

* * *

When Raven woke up the next day, she decided to skip school. One day wouldn’t hurt her absence record. 

If she practiced using her new spells, she might be able to break Rorek’s curse sooner than they planned. Hell, they might be able to perform the final ceremony. 

After getting ready, she convinced Kory that she was attending school and instead headed towards Rorek’s house. She had her spell books with her, as well as her suit underneath her uniform. She wanted to wear her new attire while performing the ceremony. 

“You’re here early,” Rorek noted once he opened the door, admiring her new style. Instead of her dark purple cloak, she was wearing all white. “And your suit looks beautiful. All you’re missing is a halo.” 

Raven’s cheeks flushed as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I decided to skip a day,” she confessed. 

“Ah,” Rorek said and opened the door wider for her to come in, then shut it behind her. “I like your enthusiasm.” 

“I thought maybe we could complete the progress today,” Raven informed him. “I want to free you.” 

A smile formed on his lips. “You’re so sweet,” he commented and watched as she put her bag down and pulled out the spellbooks. 

The two of them practiced spells all morning. 

* * *

Damian had searched for Raven at lunchtime but had no luck. It was during his Chemistry class that he discovered that she didn’t attend school that day. 

As soon as he was released he decided to head over towards her apartment. Warning her of his true intentions was worth a shot. 

When Kory answered the door, she was shocked. “What brings you here?” she signed. 

Damian was surprised that she knew sign language before assuming his older brother had taught her. Now was not the time to worry about that. “I need to speak to Rachel,” he said. 

Kory raised an eyebrow. “She should be coming home from school,” she signed in response. 

“She wasn’t at school today,” Damian informed her. Kory’s eyes widened at the revelation. “Look, the man she’s been hanging out with isn't what he seems. He’s using her for her powers. He’s really an evil dragon.” 

Kory wore a worried expression, and Damian started to grow concerned as well. If she wasn’t here, she had to be with him.

He was too late. 

* * *

“Are we ready?” 

Raven pondered over the question before responding. “Yes,” she answered as she aligned the books in a circle around him. Once they were set, she began to mix ingredients into a small dish. “I think it’s time.” 

“Excellent,” Rorek said and closed his eyes. “Let us begin.” 

Raven took a deep breath before chanting a spell, causing the books around him to levitate from the ground. Once she finished the spell, she took the mixture from the dish and blew the colored powder onto his body. As soon as it hit his skin, he began to glow white. 

Raven’s eyes widened with amazement as she watched the transformation. However, her expression soon turned into fear once she realized what was truly happening. Her back hit the wall. 

“No…” she spoke in disbelief. Quickly, she went to try and reverse the spell, but it was too late, he was too far into the transformation. “You’re not Rorek, you’re… Malchior.”

A black dragon appeared before her and looked down towards her, his red reptilian eyes meeting her fearful gazed. “Oh my poor sweet Raven, I’m sorry you had to find out the truth this way, I can tell you’re hurt.” 

“You lied to me!” Raven cried out, her knees hitting the ground from the impact of his ginormous steps. 

“Yes,” Malchoir admitted. “You gave me what I wanted, so I don’t need you anymore.” 

Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the giant monster leave, smashing everything in his path. There was no telling what he planned to do, but Raven knew she needed to stop him. No matter what it took. 

After getting back onto her feet, she soared through the sky and followed him. To her surprise, the Teen Titans were already there, striking him with everything they had. How they knew this would happen was a mystery to her. 

“Rae, are you okay?” Beast Boy called out to her in his bird form. 

“I’m fine,” she lied, “Look out!” 

Beast Boy quickly transformed into an elephant to minimize the damage Malchoir did to him as he swatted him towards the ground. He was destroying the city. 

Starfire’s starbolts and Blue Beetle’s canons didn't do any damage but slowed him down. 

While he was distracted, Raven started to attempt at putting another curse on him. When Melchior heard this he reached his hand out and grabbed her before she could escape, his grip form on her. “You foolish little girl, you really thought you could defeat me?” 

Raven groaned as his grip tightened. Her body was being squeezed too tight for her to focus on anything other than the pressure on her ribs. 

Malchior suddenly cried out in pain and his grip completely loosened on her. Raven fell to the ground but was caught by Superboy. They both watched as the dragon used his breath and began blowing fire into everything around him until he collapsed. There was a long sword sticking through his bleeding heart. 

The gloved hand who wielded the sword belonged to the colorful vigilante she encountered the night before; Robin. He was holding his bloody arm and half of his face was burnt from the dragon’s fiery breath. 

“Let me down, please,” Raven asked Superboy. The super-powered boy obeyed and set her gently down on the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground she ran over towards him. “Let me heal you,” she spoke as she reached his side. 

Robin didn’t say anything but jerked away from her touch when she reached out to his injuries. “I’m fine,” he rasped. The voice almost sounded familiar. 

Raven ignored his protests and gently grabbed his face in her hands, performing the healing process. However, she was unaware of what she would witness as she entered his mind. 

Once she was finished, he pulled away from her, his masked eyes narrowed in her direction. “Thanks,” he said. His voice held an annoyed tone to it. 

“I-“ before Raven could say anything else he stood up and began to flee from the scene. He seemed to be avoiding someone. 

Before he could get any further, an angry Nightwing leaped in front of him to stop him in his tracks, his arms crossed over his chest. 


	8. Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for violence and child abuse. This chapter is heavily referenced from the Batman and Robin comic, issues #6 and #7.

It all happened one dark night in Gotham city. 

Nobody, also known as Morgan Ducard, had Batman’s one and only blood son in the palm of his hand, by his own will. He’d even been able to drop the young boy's colorful uniform from him. 

At first, he doubted Damian’s willingness to comply with his tactics. 

“I’m not here to play games, Ducard,” Damian said as he tossed the unloaded gun to the side. The man in front of him continued to weep as he pulled at his strong restraints. 

“Neither am I,” Nobody responded. 

“Then stop trying to manipulate me,” Damian ordered. 

“I want to see how committed you were,” Nobody informed him. “My doubts need to be put to rest.” 

“And we’re they?” Damian asked as he stared up at the older man, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yes,” Nobody answered him. “Now let’s get this piece of shit to my safe house so we can find out more about his trafficking network.” 

Damian and Nobody both turned to face the weeping man. Nobody took the man’s head in his arms in the form of a headlock. “Remember the move I did on you in the alley?” 

“How could I forget?” Damian retorted. The move he was speaking of had to be executed perfectly, or else it would kill the one it was being performed on. “You don’t expect me to- I mean, what if I kill him-“ 

“You can do it. I trust you,” Nobody assured him. 

Damian’s eyes widened under the mask at the words. Although he was playing Ducard, the words struck him. Bruce had never said these words to him. 

Damian gulped before using his index finger to strike the man’s spall space between his forehead and nose. 

“Perfectly done. He’s still breathing,” Nobody noted as he let the man fall limp in the ground. “For the moment, that is.” 

Once Damian proved himself worthy to stay alongside him, Nobody took him to his safe house at Gotham Harbor.

***

“You’re dunking him in acid!” 

Damian’s arms reached out towards the man whose screams were muffled behind his duct-taped mouth. 

“I don’t believe in fanfare,” Nobody stated as he eyed Damian’s distraught expression. 

Damian gritted his teeth as he went to swing a hit in Nobody. “I make the guilty disappear. That’s my call card.” 

Nobody raised his gloved hands up in the air and turned on his sonics, causing Damian to stumble the ground behind him. “It’s like they never existed,” he spoke. “Just like you’re about to discover- agh!” 

Damian used the last of his strength to shoot a grappling hook above them, scraping Nobody’s side. One of his ears was ringing as the other leaked blood and lacked hearing. 

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the GPS you turned on seconds ago?” Nobody questioned, his six red eyes staring down at the boy lying on the ground. “I thought you were on my side. But you betrayed me, just like your father did. You two made this scheme.” 

“He had no idea about this,” Damian informed him as he eyed the man that hovered over him. Nobody stripped him of his utility belt and tossed it to the side. Nobody then grabbed Damian by the collar of his tunic, pulling him towards his face. “I was setting you free, Damian. Why would you throw away everything I had to offer?” 

The gloved hands moved to Damian’s neck as they clasped around his throat. “Because he’s my father, you idiot,” Damian muttered as he felt the older man apply pressure to his throat. Hot tears were streaming through his mask and down his cheeks from the pain he was enduring. “A-And because you’re enjoying this too much.” 

Nobody ripped the ‘R’ symbol from his tunic and examined the secret hidden device. “I do enjoy my work,” he responded. “It’s time to show you just how much.” 

Nobody took the device Damian used to contact Batman and began speaking through it. “ _Hello, Bruce. Your problem child was actually more of a good little soldier than you thought. It seems he pulled wool over both your eyes and mine_.” 

Nobody used one hand to speak through the device while he trapped Damian beneath him. “I’m going to take advantage of this little device to transmit sound, so listen closely,” he said while bending Damian’s gloved fingers backward, causing the young boy to scream. “ _Because the next noises you’ll be hearing is the sound of your son **breaking**_.” 

_“Damian!_ ” Damian could faintly hear his father screaming through the transmitter. He could only faintly hear out of one of his ears now, while the other one was deaf and had blood dripping from the canal. 

“ _That was the sound of his little fingers breaking_ ,” Nobody informed before he began to wail on the child, hitting him in the jaw. Damian went to protest, but all he could mutter were agonizing screams. His body was numb. 

After Nobody was finished hitting him, he raised his gloved hand up, turning his sonic back on, and hovered it over the child’s head. 

“ _Did you know that a ten year old’s ears are more susceptible to high frequencies than an adults?_ ” 

Those were the last words Damian ever heard before the world around him went silent. 

Right as Nobody’s hands pressed down against Damian’s chest, Batman had crashed through the roof of the building and immediately struck the villain. 

After Batman dealt with Nobody and threw his weak body against the wall, he began to clear up the debris. Damian watched his mouth move, but couldn’t make out a single word that left it. 

While Batman’s back was turned, Damian looked over at a bloody and burnt unmasked Nobody. Using his middle and index fingers, Damian jabbed them into the man’s skull, finishing him off. He couldn’t hear his father screaming at him behind him. 

This was the last thing he remembered before passing out and collapsing into Batman’s arms. 

*** 

When Damian awoke on the medical bay table, he could see Bruce and Alfred talking beside him. His arm was in a sling and his cuts were tended to, but he still couldn’t hear anything from either ear. 

When he sat up, he glanced over at the display cases in the cave. He noticed that his own ripped and bloody Robin suit was now on one of the stands inside a case. He also noticed that Bruce was holding his damaged green mask. 

The two men noticed his state and looked towards him with concerned expressions. Bruce spoke, but his lips moved too fast for Damian to make out what he’d said. 

“I cannot hear,” Damian informed the two, who both looked shocked when given the news. This was the first time he couldn’t hear his own voice. 

Bruce and Alfred shared glances for a brief moment before Bruce wrapped his son in his arms, pulling him into an embrace. He felt his father cry as his head was buried into his shoulder. 

From that point on, Damian was Robin no more. Not only was the world around him silent, but it was dull. 


	9. Empathy

Raven couldn't help but stare down at Robin, or rather Damian, with a petrified expression after witnessing the repressed memory he kept locked away in the back of his mind. No matter how much he wanted to forget it, it haunted him.

She had seen many of his other memories, but that one stuck out immensely compared to the rest, even the one of him brutally dying at the end of a sword.

She finally understood why Damian didn't tell his older brother what had happened. That was one of the most horrifying memories she'd ever seen through someone else's eyes. In all honesty, she wished she hadn't seen it. Sure, she was curious about how his sense of hearing was taken away from him, but she would rather have let him trust her enough to tell her.

"Thanks," Robin said before pulling away from her touch and quickly darting off in the other direction.

Raven snapped back to reality as she watched him flee away from the scene, until he was stopped by a furious Nightwing. The other Titans were too occupied with helping citizens evacuate the burning buildings to pay attention to the two boys.

"What?" Robin spat towards the taller man.

" _We had an agreement,_ " Nightwing quickly signed in response. He was so mad that his signs were almost unreadable.

"You know, most people would be congratulating me for saving all of these people. But, I guess I expect too much," Robin retorted and didn't remove his gaze from him.

" _You could have gotten hurt_ ," Nightwing signed. " _You need to go home_."

Robin grabbed his grappling hook from his utility belt. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to your lecture," he stated as he aimed the hook for the closest building.

Before he could shoot it, Nightwing grabbed his arm and tried to sign to him. Robin furrowed his eyebrows and jerked away from his brother, moving as quick as he could to get away, refusing to see what he had to say. "The good about being deaf is that I can't hear your nagging," Robin said before he got too far out of range to hear.

Nightwing made his way up to one rooftop but stood there with an irritated expression as he watched the younger boy disappear from sight. He slowly sat down on the edge of the building, letting his legs dangle from the side. Quietly, Raven approached him.

"I, um," she started, trying to find the words to say. "Are you okay?"

She wasn't the best at comforting others, but Nightwing knew this and appreciated her effort. "Yeah, I'm just worried," he spoke as he looked up at her.

"Want to talk about it?" Raven offered as she slowly sat down beside him.

Nightwing was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "We used to be so close before. When he was younger, I was his favorite person in the entire world, and I'm not just saying that to brag. I wanted to give him the closest thing to a childhood that he could have, because he deserves it after all that he had been through. Now, after he lost his hearing, he just pushes me away."

Raven took a moment to process everything he'd told her before responding to him. "I... saw inside of his mind earlier," she confessed. "When I healed him."

"What did you see?" Nightwing decided to ask her.

"Things I wish I hadn't," Raven responded and met his gaze.

He looked concerned. "Did you see... what happened?"

Raven nodded. "Out of respect for his privacy I don't think I should tell you," she replied.

"Yeah, I understand. I would rather let him tell me himself, anyways," Nightwing said and looked out at the city. "The reason why I was upset with him is because when we moved out here, we agreed that he wouldn't be Robin. Batman made it very clear that it was too risky allowing him to be out fighting crime in his condition, and I can agree. I don't want him to get hurt. I've already watched him die once, and I never want to go through that again."

"Have you told him any of this?" Raven decided to ask.

Nightwing shook his head. "Anytime I try to talk with him about this type of stuff he'll shut me out. I mean, all he has to do is close his eyes and choose not to listen to me. It's very annoying."

Both of them let out a short laugh at his last statement.

"Hey, thank you for listening to me vent," Nightwing said as he stood up and offered her a hand to help her up. "You're a great listener."

"I'm an empath, it's kind of what I do," Raven replied and took his hand, using it to get back on her feet.

"I'll see you around, Rae," he said, then added, "Tell Kory I'll see her too."

Raven watched as the acrobat leaped off the building and made his way across the city.

Once he was gone, she didn't hesitate to get back to the apartment and lay down. As much as she enjoyed helping others, the events from tonight had drained her. Not of her energy, but her mood.

* * *

As soon as she got home, she locked herself in her room to cut the lights off, close her window curtain, change clothes and lay down on her bed. Her pillowcase began to get soaked as she quietly sobbed, finally letting all of her bottled up feelings out. All she felt was anger and sadness.

Of course the first real friend she ever made would use her. She was so stupid to believe anything that Rorek, who was actually Malchior, had told her. They were all lies for his own selfish needs. And she had believed every single one of them, all because she craved a friend to make her feel less lonely.

Even if she had the Teen Titans, they all thought she was different. Garfield had told her that in the first month they'd met each other. Of course he apologized, but it still stung. It reminded her that there was no one out there like her. She was alone.

She clutched her pillow tighter as she shed more and more tears. It's like they wouldn't stop.

When knocking could be heard from her window, she jumped. Hesitantly, she got out of bed and dried her tears as she approached the window. Once she peeked through the crack in the curtains she saw the colorful colors yet again.

Raven wore a puzzled expression as she slid the curtains apart and unlocked her window to slide it open. Robin was hanging upside by a wire

Without saying a word, he stepped inside the room and took his mask off. Maybe this was about her peering into his memories, she assumed.

"Since I know your true identity, I suppose that it's fair you know mine," was the first thing he said.

When she didn't say anything, he took the time to notice her gloomy eyes and red nose.

"I would also like to confirm that I was not stalking you," Damian cleared up. "I was studying your... friend. I actually went to warn you after school today since you decided to be a delinquent and skip, but I couldn't find you in time."

Raven's eyebrows raised the slightest in surprise. " _I'm sorry_ ," she signed.

"Why are you apologizing?" Damian asked as if she were stupid. "It wasn't your fault."

" _I feel like it was_ ," Raven signed in response and averted her gaze. She could feel her eyes begin to water again at the mention of her mistake. Quickly she went to sit down in her bed before she began to cry again.

Damian didn't know what else to say at this point. He wasn't a person who knew how to comfort someone. The real reason why he came here was so he didn't have to go back to the duplex and face his older brother. This was the only other place he could think of to go.

"I can tell you want to be left alone, so I will be leaving," he decided to say as he placed his torn up mask over his eyes. As he went over to the window, he turned around once again. "I have one question."

Raven met his gaze, letting him know that she was listening.

"Do I call you Raven or Rachel? Personally, I don't think Rachel suits you," Damian spoke.

Raven was taken aback by the question. " _That implies you're going to talk to me again,_ " she signed.

"Well, sometimes it's hard to ignore someone as annoying as you," he replied before placing his foot on the windowsill.

Raven let her mouth fall open at his comment as she watched him step out further.

"I'll just call you an inaudible irritation. That name suits you a lot better," he said before diving out the window.

Raven got up and looked out the window, watching as the vigilante vanished from her sight. The smallest smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she pulled the window closed.


	10. Chapter 10

The sound of knocking gained Raven's attention, causing her to roll over on her side as she laid in her bed.

"Raven? It's Kory. I made dinner. I can make you a plate if you want."

Raven took a moment to respond. "Maybe later," she said. After she spoke she heard the sound of Kory's footsteps growing distant from the other side of the door.

It had been three days now after the incident with Malchior, and Raven hadn't left her bedroom since. She couldn't gather the energy to do anything. Most of her days were spent sleeping or reading. She hadn't eaten a proper meal all day or even took a shower.

All she could do was scold herself. It was her fault that Malchior got out. It was her fault that her friends' lives were put at risk. It was her fault that he took advantage of her. All because she was lonely.

It was all her fault.

As she laid in bed with her self destructive thoughts, the sound of her phone vibrating caught her attention. Raising an eyebrow, she sat up and fetched it from her nightstand. Instead of a notification from an app, she found a text message from a number that wasn't saved in her contacts.

After opening it, she let her eyes read over the message.

_Next time you decide to lay out of school, try to at least pick up your missing work._

The message caught her off guard as she tried to narrow down who could have sent it. Then, she realized who the only probable sender was.

At first, she didn't want to respond. But, as she thought about it, a small grin made its way to her lips. After deciding on what to say, she typed it out.

_how'd you get my number?_

After hitting send, Raven set her phone back down and waited for his response. When she didn't hear anything within a few minutes, she turned the screen off and laid back down.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, her phone buzzed again. Almost instantly, she got up and checked the new message.

_A bird told me. Also, start using capitalization. That text is a sore to my eyes._

Raven mentally scoffed as she typed out her next sentence.

_It's an aesthetical choice. Where is my work?_

After hitting send she watched the screen, waiting for his response. A minute later, a new text popped up.

_In my hands. I'm debating on feeding it to my dog._

Raven's mouth dropped open at the message. She clamped her jaws shut and started swiftly typing a response.

_Don't. I'll come get it._

Right after she sent the message, she got up to get dressed. After looking at her reflection in the mirror, she widened her eyes. She really needed a shower.

After taking a brief shower, Raven threw on some casual clothes. She didn't bother styling her hair, she wasn't trying to impress anyone. As long as she looked presentable, she didn't care.

Before leaving her room, she checked her messages to see if he had sent anything else. To her surprise, he had.

_Good. I wasn't going to deliver it anyways._

Raven rolled her eyes as she turned off the screen and tucked her phone into the back of her jeans pocket. When she opened her door, Kory turned her head and looked at her with a delighted expression.

"You look pretty," the older girl complimented from the couch. The television was playing behind her.

"Thanks," Raven simply responded, a faint rosy blush on her cheeks. "I'm going to go get my work I missed from school."

"Oh," Kory said and raised an eyebrow. "Did someone collect it?"

"Dick's brother," Raven answered.

"Oh," Kory marveled, an amused expression on her face. "That was nice of him."

Raven let out a short laugh at her comment. "Not the way he said it," she responded and turned on her heels to head to the door. "I'll be back soon."

"Be careful," Kory said before turning back around to watch the television.

Raven grabbed her jacket and slipped it on before stepping outside. The weather was beginning to change drastically from warm to cool. Now, she could see her breath every time she exhaled.

It took her about twenty minutes on the subway train to make it to Dick's apartment. Usually she would walk, but it was too cold for her liking to do that.

Once she approached the doorstep, she took a deep breath and knocked a few times. She could hear the faint sound of a dog barking from the other side of the door.

Soon after that, the door opened and Raven was met with an annoyed Damian.

"Oh, you actually came," he said as he eyed her. When he noticed her shivering, he slowly opened the door wider for her to step inside.

Raven didn't hesitate to step inside. She hugged herself as she did so, trying to warm her torso up.

Damian closed the door behind her and turned to face her. "I'll go fetch your work," he said before leaving to head up the staircase.

Raven jumped when she felt something touching the back of her back. She felt relieved when she realized that it was just his dog. Squatting down, she started to rub his sleek black fur. She smiled as she watched him wag his tail.

"I do not know why they gave it to me," Damian said as he walked down the stairs. "I guess they think we're friends."

Raven stood up when she heard his voice. " _Are we not?_ " she signed.

Damian crossed his arms over his chest after handing her the thick stack of papers. "Don't flatter yourself. You're even irritating when you're not at school, so don't get your hopes up. You and I are simply acquaintances, that's it."

Raven couldn't help but smirk at the statement as she took the papers from him. " _Good_ ," she signed.

Damian noticed the dark circles underneath her eyes and that she had been picking at her nails again when she grabbed the papers from him. He assumed she was still feeling heavy-hearted from the previous incident.

"You should probably go. My brother will be home soon, and I'm supposed to be grounded," Damian informed her.

Raven raised an eyebrow at his statement. " _Why_?" she decided to sign.

"Sneaking out," Damian answered, an unamused expression on his face. Raven assumed he meant as Robin.

Raven gave him a small nod before she decided to bid him goodbye. Then, she turned on her heels and started on her way back home.

A smile tugged on the corners of her lips as she glanced down at the stack of papers in her hands.

* * *

The next day, Raven had finally decided to muster enough energy to attend school. The previous night she had worked on all her missing assignments so that she could turn them in today.

As she turned in her missing work, her grades went back up, and she was satisfied.

"Rachel, may I have a word?" Miss Kennedy, her English teacher, called as she was grading papers.

Raven stood up and made her way to the teachers desk. "Yes ma'am?"

The teacher looked at her, a look of worry on her face. "This artwork on your paper is very good, but also concerning."

Raven raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Artwork? I don't draw," she said, a puzzled expression on her face.

Miss Kennedy flipped the paper that Raven had turned in on it's back, revealing a very detailed illustration of Raven herself, in the act of rolling her eyes. The words 'the most annoying girl in the world' was written underneath the sketch.

Raven's eyes widened the slightest at the realization. "I'm sorry-" she began, then let out an annoyed sigh. "My bratty little brother must have done that when I wasn't around."

The teacher chuckled at her. "Boys will be boys," she said and handed her the graded piece of paper. A few girls in the front row of the desks giggled at the drawing.

Raven returned back to her seat, her face flushed.

* * *

When the bell for her lunch period rang, she immediately went to search for the corrupt artist known as Damian.

Raven was delighted when her eyes landed on a boy sitting alone at the end of a table, playing on his phone with his head leaning on the edge of the table. Bingo.

Her hands slammed on the table, causing him to jump up at the sensation. His shocked expression faded when he caught sight of who was bothering him.

"You don't look excited," Damian spoke.

Raven narrowed her eyes at him before pulling the drawing from her backpack. She displayed it before him with an angry expression.

Damian held back his laugh. "Looks like you have a fan," he said.

Raven furrowed her eyebrows as she slammed the paper onto the table. " _I know you did it_ ," she signed.

"Why would I waste my time to draw such a horrendous image?" Damian retorted.

"I hate you," Raven mumbled to herself before grabbing the sheet of paper and crumbling it into a ball with her hands.

Damian let a smirk slip out. "The irritation has become irritated," he spoke before resting his head back down on his arm.

The table shifted as Raven took a seat on the opposite side. Damian lifted his head back up with a puzzled expression. "Why are you sitting here?"

" _Because it bothers you,_ " Raven signed and crossed her arms over her chest. This time Damian narrowed his eyes and scoffed. Raven paid him no mind and pulled out a book from her book bag to read.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for the remainder of lunch, and for the first time, they didn't sit alone.


	11. Teammate

As his older brother came into sight, Damian lowered his sword from the instructor.

"I will see you Thursday," Damian said before he started to gather his things. The instructor gave him a nod in response and went to clean up the equipment.

Once Damian had packed up his bag and removed his fencing gear, the two brothers began their journey home.

"Am I still grounded?" Damian decided to question before sneaking a glance at Dick.

Dick looked down at Damian and met his gaze before signing, " _No_."

Damian fixed his gaze back at the sidewalk in front of them. "I suppose you'll punish me worse when I do it again," he said before looking at Dick through the corner of his eye.

Dick caught his gaze again and signed the same answer again, " _No_."

Damian raised an eyebrow at his response. He didn't know what to say, so he stayed quiet as he pondered the subject at hand. The two boys walked back home in silence.

When they got back to their duplex, Dick changed into his police uniform so he could leave for work. Damian met him at the door and bid him goodbye before he left.

As he made his way back towards his room, a handwritten letter lying on the coffee table caught his eye. He walked up to the table and picked up the paper, letting his eyes trace over the words his brother had written.

_I can't stop you from going out. I'm sorry for being so strict on you, but it's only because you're not my child, no matter how much I wish you were. Bruce is still your dad, and the truth is, I am also afraid of you getting hurt. However, I have decided to come to an agreement if you wish to accept. I will not tell Bruce of your patrols, nor will I ground you, as long as you take someone else with you. I'm trusting you._   
_-Dick_

Damian gently placed the paper back down once he finished reading it. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he pondered the deal.

* * *

When the sky changed from different shades of orange to dark blue, Damian began to gear up. While he was grounded, he took the time to upgrade his Robin uniform with new technology.

He now had motion sensors on his tunic that he programmed to alert him by pulses of vibration when someone was closeby. Attacking him from behind would be more difficult now.

When he was ready for patrol, he pulled out his grappling hook and leaped out of his window and into the city, making his way across the many rooftops.

Soon he reached his destination and planted his hook into the cement, climbing down the side of the building in search of a specific window. Once he spotted the dark blue curtains, he knocked on the glass, hoping deep down that someone would answer.

Moments later the curtains slid back and a confused Raven gazed out her window. She reached down and slid the window open, allowing the vigilante to step through.

"We're going on patrol," he ordered as he retracted his grappling hook and stepped further into the darkened room.

Raven raised an eyebrow at the statement. She opened her mouth to speak, but Robin quickly interrupted her. "My brother said I could patrol as long as I wasn't alone," he informed, "So you're the lucky person I've decided to choose to accompany me. Go get ready."

Raven gave a huff before she retrieved her cloak from what Robin assumed was her closet. Once she gathered her things she headed for the bathroom.

Robin started to snoop around her room out of curiosity. On her bed laid a laptop that was still turned in, so he assumed she had been using it before he came. Her dark blue walls were blank and the only furniture she had was the bed, nightstand, and a vanity table. The only pictures she had were of her and the Teen Titans. If he were being honest, the photo made him envious of her. With his disability, no one would want him on a team.

The sensor in his tunic vibrated and he quickly turned around to meet her annoyed gaze.

"Took you long enough," Robin spoke before ignoring her glare and heading towards the open window. "Let's go."

Robin leaped from the window and pulled out his grappling hook once again to swing onto the closest rooftop. When he looked back, he saw Raven flying right behind him.

Above the two vigilantes were a bright crescent moon and an endless blanket of twinkling stars.


	12. Patrol

After scouting out ten blocks in a row, Robin and Raven decided to take a break from their patrol and reached the large bridge that stretched across a portion of the ocean waters. The two of them made their way up to one of the tall pylons and sat down on the edge.

The only crime they came across and stopped tonight was a mugging in an alleyway and a gas station robbery.

"Jump City is a lot more pleasant than Gotham," Robin commented after taking in the view. In front of them were shining lights that reflected on the dark water. From their spot, they could see over the top of the countless buildings in the distant city.

Raven took in the view before glancing over at Robin. He must've felt her stare as he turned his head to catch her gaze.

" _Why did you pick me?_ " she decided to sign. The question had been on her mind all night.

Robin took a moment to answer her question. "Your power is very efficient," he admitted before looking back out at the scenery displayed before them.

Raven could tell he was lying. But, this was probably going to be all she could get out of him, so she decided not to pressure him into answering more questions.

Once the time reached one in the morning, the two vigilantes decided to call it a night.

"I will see you tomorrow, I presume," Damian said. The two of them stood on top of a rooftop that belonged to a building that was close to Robin's duplex.

Raven quietly nodded in response to his question. Tomorrow was Friday, which would end the school week.

"Goodnight then," Robin said before turning on his heels to head home. He hadn't waited long enough to see if Raven responded.

On his way back home, he felt his sensor vibrate a couple of times. Immediately he began to scan his surroundings but was left with nothing. He decided to shrug it off and keep moving.

"Stupid technology," Robin quietly muttered to himself before using his grappling hook to swing inside his bedroom window.

* * *

Raven studied the sheet of paper in her hand. The paper she was handed gave her the schedule for her final exams.

"You look nervous," Damian pointed out from across the lunch table, "I'm assuming you're not smart enough to pass your classes this semester."

Raven removed her gaze from the paper to glare at him. "I'm very smart," she signed.

"Could've fooled me," he said before taking a bite from his apple.

" _What exams do you have to take?_ " Raven signed and slid the paper to him so that he could read it.

Damian's eyes scanned over the words before responding. "Besides Chemistry, I have Civics and Personal Finance," he answered and returned her paper to her.

Raven shoved the paper into her book bag before beginning to eat her lunch. To be honest, she was nervous. Tests weren't something she enjoyed.

"Did you get your next class schedule yet?" Damian decided to ask.

Raven nodded as she pulled the other sheet of paper from her binder. Damian snatched it from her and compared the two. His eyes widened the slightest.

Raven raised an eyebrow at this before leaning over the table to see what his shock was about. When she read the two papers, she noticed that the schedules were almost identical besides one class. They had Advanced Physical Education, Algebra, and Theatre Arts together. The only difference was that Raven had Creative Writing and Damian had Art again.

"You signed up for Advanced Physical Education?" Damian asked in disbelief as the paper was taken from his hand.

 _"I like gym_ ," Raven signed in response. It was true, she enjoyed the class. It made her step out of her comfort zone.

Damian gave her a doubtful expression. He couldn't believe that she was the type to enjoy exercising.

" _Looks like we'll be seeing each other more next semester,_ " Raven signed with a smirk on her lips. After this, she stood up from her seat and went to throw away her lunch tray. 

"A truly repulsive thought," Damian muttered to himself, but loud enough for her to hear. He noticed her stop in her tracks for a second at his remark but then continued to walk to the trash. 

As he watched her from behind, he could only imagine the face she was making.


	13. Reliable

Damian furrowed his brows as he stared down at the small device in his hands.

Before patrol tonight, he wanted to tinker with his new piece of technology and make sure it was working accurately, and to his surprise, the device was flawless. His eyes widened at the realization that he was really being followed last night.

However, Damian couldn't see them. They wouldn't have had the time to escape from his sight, which meant they must have an invisibility ability. The thought made a shiver run down his spine. He hadn't prepared for that possibility.

After debating on the topic for what seemed like an hour, Damian decided to lay low. He didn't want to trouble Raven with his paranoia, and he didn't feel like expanding to Dick what could happen if he got assaulted.

As he placed his Robin suit in a secure location, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. His eyes traced over the notification as he unlocked the screen.

_[My team is going out on patrol if you want to join.]_

Damian hid a laugh as he typed his response.

_[I don't do well with teams.]_

He laid his phone on the nightstand after hitting send and got out his textbooks from his school bag. Studying would help pass the time, and keep his mind off of his potential stalker.

About five minutes after studying, his phone buzzed again. Hesitantly he reached over and read the response.

_[You do well with me. What's the difference?]_

Damian pondered the question for a moment before he decided on his cocky response.

_[I don't like relying on others. You're lucky I even associate with you. Why don't you go on patrol with them if it makes you happy? I could care less.]_

He hit send, but before his phone made contact with the wooden nightstand, it vibrated again. Her responses were getting quicker.

_[Don't you mean you couldn't care less?]_

Damian raised an eyebrow at the message. She had completely ignored his question and instead teased him.

_[Shut up.]_

He texted his response and laid his phone back in the nightstand so he could focus on his work. His phone buzzed again, but this time, he ignored it.

* * *

Over the weekend, Damian spent most of his time working on his artwork. This specific piece would be his entry for his final exam.

Charcoal dust coated his fingers as he decided to call it quits for the day. It was already six in the afternoon, and his hands were beginning to cramp.

Dick peered over his younger brother's shoulder as he studied the sketch. Damian glanced up at him to see his comment.

" _Beautiful_ ," Dick signed after taking in the sight.

"It's not finished yet. I only have a week left," Damian replied before cleaning up his art supplies.

Dick held the small pouch open for Damian to dump his pencils into. When he was finished, Dick signed to him. " _Who did you decide to take with you for patrol?_ "

Damian closed his sketchbook before responding. "That Rachel girl," he answered.

" _Why?_ " Dick signed another question.

"She's reliable," Damian simply stated before turning around and grabbing his dog's leash, "I'm going to walk Titus."

Dick watched the younger boy leave the room and let himself smile.

"Reliable, huh?" he said to himself.

* * *

Damian pulled his phone from his pocket as he felt a vibration. He read over the new message that popped up on his phone. Above the new message was the message he had ignored last night.

_[You're just mad because you know I'm right.]_

_[Are we patrolling later or what?]_

A small laugh left his lips as he texted his response.

_[Someone's eager to spend time with me.]_

After hitting send and tucking the phone away, he tugged on Titus' leash to get him to follow. Titus trotted behind his owner as they made their way home.

When he got home, he flopped down on the bed and pulled his phone back out to see if she had responded. When he noticed no new messages appeared, he let out a sigh and locked his phone back. For the first time, he felt disappointed when he didn't see a new text.

As he began to worry if he'd scared her away, his phone buzzed again. He immediately grabbed the device and opened the new message.

_[You're the one who forced me into patrolling with you. So I wouldn't talk, Mister Ego.]_

His mouth opened the slightest in offense when reading her response. He took a moment to come up with a response.

_[Whatever. I'm leaving at 9 so be ready.]_

After sending his message, he laid his phone on the bed and headed to his closet to gather his gear. He reattached his motion sensor to his tunic before putting it on.

When he finished putting on his uniform, he opened the window and closed it behind him before leaping out into the dark night sky.

Around the time he had told her, Robin showed up at Raven's window. She climbed out of her bedroom to meet him on the rooftop.

They began their patrol in the dark parts of Jump City, where most crime occurred. When they didn't discover any suspicious activity, they decided to make their way downtown.

The sound of a woman screaming quickly gained Raven's attention. Robin noticed her suddenly look around in every direction. 

"What is it?" Robin questioned and raised an eyebrow underneath his mask.

Raven met his gaze. " _Someone is screaming,_ " she signed.

"Where is it coming from?" he questioned and followed her as she flew towards the source of the noise. Below them was a woman being held at gunpoint, and a young child clinging to her leg with tears streaming down his face.

Robin and Raven made brief eye contact before leaping down and striking the attacker. Before Robin could lay a hit on the man, Raven used her telekinesis to take the handgun from him.

While he was unarmed, Robin swung his hand across his face and began delivering endless punches until the man was knocked unconscious.

"It's Robin!" the young boy spoke before leaving his mother and hugging Robin's side. The sudden contact startled Robin as he glanced down at the child.

When Raven came into view, the boy hunkered down behind Robin as he clutched the vigilantes' cape. "She's scary..." he quietly murmured.

The woman quickly grabbed her son's hand before thanking the two heroes.

"Call the police to deal with him," Robin informed her before pulling his grappling hook from his belt and shooting it into a nearby building. Raven followed behind him using her flight ability.

As they continued to patrol the other half of the city, Robin noticed Raven's sudden change in mood. When he was unable to stand the silence from her anymore, he spoke.

"Why are you moping around?" he questioned and sat down on the ledge of a building.

Raven slowly followed him, sitting about a foot away from him so that his sensor wouldn't go crazy. She took a moment to respond to his question. " _I scare people_ ," she signed and rested her chin in one of her hands as she peered out at the city below them.

"Is that why you don't like being with the Titans?" Robin decided to ask as he put the pieces together.

Raven chewed on her lower lip when he asked the question as she avoided the topic. Robin took this as a 'yes'.

"They're only afraid because they don't understand you. It has nothing to do with your physical appearance if that's what you're thinking."

She looked over at him, her dull expression fading. " _You think?_ " she signed in response.

"Why would I say something I didn't mean?" he questioned and leaned back, letting his arms stretch behind him to prop himself up.

The chilly atmosphere sent shivers down Raven's spine as they stayed on the rooftop. Her suit was not exactly fit for cool climates.

"Pants would probably keep you warmer," Robin decided to comment after sneaking a glance at Raven, who was only wearing sheer tights on her legs.

Raven rolled her eyes. " _You're wearing leggings_ ," she signed.

He made an offended expression. "I am not wearing leggings. They're spandex pants," he defended, "Either way they still keep me relatively warm."

Raven shook her head before standing up from her spot. " _Should we call it a night?_ " she signed.

Robin stood up as well, stretching as he did so. "I suppose," he answered and went to grab his grappling hook from his belt.

" _Would you like an escort home?_ " she signed.

"You're not my service dog," Robin retorted and crossed his arms over his chest, "But, if you insist, let's go."

With that, the two peacefully made their way back to their homes.


	14. Nobody

It was the last day of the semester, which meant after this class, winter break began. Three weeks of freedom.

Raven’s elbow rested on the desk, her chin placed neatly in the palm of her hand as the teacher rambled on about the exam results. Her gaze wandered towards the window where she could see the vivid blue sky.

The sound of the bell ringing pulled Raven out of her daze and she quickly gathered her things. Students were fleeing the classrooms and dashing down the halls, eager to leave.

A small group of students admiring a poster on the wall gained Raven’s curiosity. As she made her way towards the poster she realized that it was not a poster, but a piece of artwork. On the white canvas was a very detailed drawing of a caged bird, specifically a Robin. Not only was the bird caged, but it’s wings were clipped. Her eyes traced over the familiar signature at the bottom of the canvas and her eyes widened the slightest.

She glanced up at the descriptive words above the many submitted works of art.

_Second Period Submissions for the Theme: Symbolism._

“Have a good break everyone!” a teacher called from behind her, causing her to step forward and start making her way to the exit.

When she got outside, she noticed Damian leaving to walk home by himself. She picked up the pace and jogged over towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder when she caught up. The sudden gesture startled him and caused him to jump.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Damian spoke when he turned his head to look at her.

Raven walked beside him with a puzzled expression. While she had his attention she signed to him. “ _Why are you on edge?_ ”

Damian let out a sigh as he thought of an excuse. “When you can’t hear, sudden touching usually startles you,” he retorted and averted his gaze.

Raven pressed her lips together and silently walked with him. Her apartment was in the opposite direction of the school, so Damian assumed she was either escorting him or coming to see his brother.

When they finally reached Damian’s doorstep, Raven remained outside. Damian turned and gave her a confused expression when he noticed that her presence had disappeared. “You aren’t coming inside?”

Raven stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. The toe of her shoe dug into the cement as she tried to find her words. “ _I was just wanting to tell you that your painting was pretty,_ ” she signed.

Damian raised an eyebrow at the sudden compliment. “Oh,” he said and propped the door on his hip. “Thank you, then.”

Raven quickly used her hands to sign again. “ _It was also concerning. Is there anything you want to talk about?_ ”

Damian was caught off guard by her question. He cleared his throat before responding, “There is nothing to discuss. My art speaks for itself.”

A sigh left her lips. The tall walls he built around himself were put up yet again.

“If you’re not busy tonight, the city always needs a hero or two,” Damian said, trying to sound casual.

Raven’s eyes met his briefly before she let herself smile. She gave him a nod and watched as he went inside his duplex. Once he was safely inside, Raven turned on her heels and started on her way to her apartment.

—

The night was quiet in Jump City. There were no robberies, muggings, or even threats reported.

“Gotham is far more interesting,” Robin noted as they came to a stop. They had just checked the last alleyway on the north side of the city. The Teen Titans let Raven know that they had the rest covered.

Raven and Robin made eye contact as Raven raised her hands up to sign. “ _Want to take a break?_ ”

Robin pondered her question. “Let’s go find a place to sit,” he decided.

Raven followed close behind as he leaped across rooftops, trying to find a secure location. The sky was clear as they traveled across the city. The moon hadn’t even made its way to the center of the sky yet, which meant it wasn’t even midnight.

She noticed Damian start to slow down his pace and landed on the rooftop, giving him a strange look as he started to look around the dark area. Her first instinct was to catch up to him and ask him what was wrong, but then she realized his built-in sensor had been picking up someone in his proximity.

As she looked around, the sound of footsteps getting louder gained her attention. She couldn’t see them, but she could definitely hear them.

**“Damian, watch out!”**

She used her telepathy in a desperate attempt to warn him about the invisible enemy before using her powers to cast a protective dark shield around them. ****

As Raven held the dark forcefield up, she glanced back at Robin, who looked at her with an appalled expression. After witnessing this she assumed that her telepathy reached him.

“I don’t know what the hell that was but get out of my head,” Robin ordered.

Raven’s face scrunched up in anger. **“I just saved your ass, and you’re going to** ** _complain_** **?”**

“I said stay out!” Robin retorted, this time raising his voice.

Raven let out a long exhale and balled her fists as she fought back another outburst. She could hear the sound of the attacker landing hits in her force field and tried to focus on keeping it up, but she couldn’t. Robin had already killed her mood, which caused her to lose control and drop the forcefield.

“Time to test out if upgrading these sonics was worth my money,” a female voice spoke.

Both Robin and Raven were frantically scanning their surroundings, trying to find the enemy. Raven cast a spell and unleashed her darkness to search for them, her eyes turning a shade of red as she did so.

“Hey!” the voice yelled when she was grabbed by a dark hand. When she was captured, her invisible cloaking was compromised and she became visible to both vigilantes.

Her suit covered her entire body and was purple and white. Her helmet had six pink lenses where her eyes were. The attire was familiar to Raven, she had definitely seen it somewhere before.

“Who are you?” Raven questioned, her glare towards the other girl unmoving as her dark hand remained. “And why are you attacking us?”

“ _Nobody_.”

Raven gave a puzzled look as she glanced back at Robin, who had answered her question without knowing. He looked distraught as he eyed the girl in Raven’s grasp. This was the first time Raven had ever seen him with that expression.

“That’s right, _Damian_ ,” the girl responded, “Thanks to you, I am Nobody.”

Raven quickly put the pieces together at her words. This had to be the daughter of the first Nobody, the man who Damian killed. The same man that took his hearing.

“Leave at once,” Raven demanded, narrowing her eyes at the girl.

“Not until I kill him,” Nobody coldly responded before turning on her sonic hand blasters. Raven winced and lost control of her power as the sonic waves reached her, draining almost all of her energy.

Robin quickly placed his gloved hands over Raven’s ears when he noticed her fall to her knees. Nobody cocked her head sideways at the scene as she inched closer to them.

Robin stood up protectively in front of Raven. “Leave my partner out of this,” he demanded as he drew his sword from its holster.

Nobody didn’t hesitate to charge at him, her hands clasping over his throat as she pushed him to the ground, straddling him as she lifted one of her hands up and brought it down to punch his face. His sword slid across the pavement after he lost his grip on the handle.

Raven watched the scene with wide eyes as she tried to get back up. Robin was just lying there, looking up and letting the girl punch him repeatedly. Anger immediately filled Raven’s body, but it soon faded when she watched the girl more closely.

“Come on, fight back you coward!” Nobody yelled as she swung again, hitting him in the nose. Robin just groaned while ignoring the blood dripping from his nostril. “I said, _fight back!_ ”

Nobody was almost out of breath as she kept weakly landing blows on the younger boy. “You’re pathetic!” she wailed from underneath the mask. Raven gulped when she heard the other girl begin to cry. No matter how weak she was, she could still easily detect the immense sadness from within her.

“Are you even listening to me?” Nobody growled as her punches slowly came to a stop. She reached up to take off her mask and set it to the side. Streaks of tears were stained on her dark cheeks as she glared down at Robin, her fists balling up again to hit him. “I will never forgive you! You killed my dad! You had a dad to give you everything! All I got from mine was a stupid name! Your dad taught you everything you know because he thought you were worthy! But what about _me_?”

Her hits completely stopped as she laid her gloved hands on his armored chest. She ignored the feeling of the vibrating of his sensor in his tunic as she applied pressure. “ _What about me?_ ” she sobbed, her body shaking as the cries left her mouth.

Raven slowly approached the two, gently placing her hand on Nobody’s shoulders as she pulled the girl away from him. “He can’t hear you,” she informed the girl. When the girl looked up at Raven with a confused expression, she explained more. “He’s deaf.”

Nobody’s eyes widened at the information before she glanced down at Robin’s bloody face with a horrified expression.

“But I don’t think he needs his hearing to know how deep your pain goes,” Raven added and watched as the girl got on her feet and backed away from them.

“Raven! Robin!” the sound of Starfire’s voice startled Nobody as she quickly used her suit to cloak herself invisible. Raven reached out a hand to grab her, but it was too late. Nobody had retrieved her mask and vanished into the night. Robin sat up in his spot and got to his feet as the team approached them.

“What the hell happened?” Nightwing asked as soon as he caught a glimpse of a beaten up Robin, causing him to start sprinting to the younger boy. The rest of the team followed as they huddled around the other two vigilantes. Robin smacked Nightwing’s hand away as it extended towards his face, causing Nightwing to frown.

“I deserved it.”

Raven watched as Robin quietly turned around to head in the direction of his home with a worried expression on her face. 


	15. Rain

“What happened?” 

Raven turned to Superboy once the question was asked. The rest of the team was eyeing her as well. 

She cleared her throat before answering. “It’s… it was personal,” she explained. “I don’t want to tell everyone about his business.” 

“I can respect that,” Starfire said and looked at the team. “We should get back to the tower.” 

“Raven?” Blue Beetle called to her when he realized she wasn’t following behind them. 

Raven moved her gaze from the ground to look at him. “I’m going to go check on Robin,” she informed them and went to turn around, but Beast Boy’s words caused her to stop in her tracks. 

“Uh, Rae,” Beast Boy started, his expression changing nervously as he spoke. “Maybe you shouldn’t… be around him anymore. For your safety.” 

Her eyebrows furrowed before she turned around to meet his stare. The statement immediately grated on her nerves. She inched closer to him, causing him to take a few steps back in fear. “And maybe _you_ should stay away from _me_ , for _your_ safety,” Raven retorted before heading in the direction Robin had gone. 

As she made her way towards his duplex, she blew off steam, letting her thoughts run wild. _Who was Beast Boy to tell her who she should be around? She was almost an adult, she could make her own decisions._

Her frustration grew even more when she felt the drops of rain begin to fall on the top of her head. The small infrequent drops didn’t take long to turn into a constant downpour. Raven let out a groan as she flipped her cloak's hood over her damp head and started to levitate towards Damian’s window. Once she was in front of the glass, she gently knocked on it a few times. He had his curtains pulled back, which meant he hadn’t been here long before she arrived. His dog was also lying on his bed comfortably. 

As the minutes passed by she began to grow irritated. It took her a few moments to realize why he hadn’t answered her knocking and she immediately facepalmed. “ _Raven, you dumbass_ ,” she mumbled to herself and let out a sigh. 

Quickly, she pulled her cell phone from her belt and texted his number. The vibration would surely gain his attention. 

_[Open your window, please.]_

Almost immediately after she sent the text, she saw Damian step through his bedroom door and look towards the window. He raised an eyebrow as he rushed over and opened it for her to step inside. 

“What in the hell are you doing?” he asked as he watched her enter his bedroom, both arms wrapped around herself as she shivered. 

Damian had already stripped himself of his uniform and was now only wearing a pair of black sweatpants and socks. His cheeks were swollen and red while his right eye was now darkly bruised. 

“Why did you come here?” Damian asked, pulling her from her thoughts as he handed her a soft blanket. The simple gesture made her heart beat faster in the slightest as she wrapped it around herself. “I’m sure your team doesn’t like the idea of you being around me.”

Damian sat on the edge of his bed afterward, his eyelids falling closed. The comment took her off guard. He was right, but she didn’t want him to be. Before she could reply, he spoke again. “And honestly, I don’t blame them.”

Raven reached his dull gaze, an annoyed expression on her face as she signed. “ _I do not care what they think._ ”

A sigh escaped from Damian’s lips. “You’re better off with them,” he started, then continued when he received a confused look from her, “All I bring is chaos. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt, and if you did, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”

There he was, pushing her away again. This is why he didn’t like getting close to people. He was afraid he would hurt them. But, she wouldn’t be pushed away. She wouldn’t let him, not after all the progress she’d made so far. So, she would just have to push back harder.

“ _I can worry about myself_ ,” she signed. 

Damian groaned as his hands balled into fists, opening his eyes to glare at her. “Why do you keep trying so damn hard? Can’t you see that I ruin everything?” he exclaimed, causing her to take a small step back. 

His expression softened when he noticed her back away. After taking a deep breath, he placed his face in the palms of his hands to try and calm himself down. If she listened close enough, she could’ve sworn she heard him holding back a cry, which in his case was completely understandable. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the weight he carried on his shoulders. 

Raven stood there, watching him carefully before approaching him and taking a seat next to him on his bed, causing it to shift as her weight was added to it. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his shoulder. The feeling of her cold hand on his bare skin caused him to jolt up, meeting her gaze with a shocked expression. 

As the downpour picked up outside and she could hear the loud raindrops hitting the roof above, she got an idea. “ _Do you like rain?_ ” she signed before placing her hand back onto his bare shoulder. 

The question confused him. She must be trying to distract him, he assumed. “Sure,” he decided to say. 

Raven closed her eyes and tried her best to mimic the sound she was hearing, making it to where Damian could imagine it with her telepathy. 

After a few moments, she slightly opened one of her eyes to sneak a glance over at him to see if it was working. To her surprise, Damian had his eyes closed and seemed to be calmed down. 

They stayed like this for a while, until a loud bang of thunder and bright strike of lightning startled Raven, causing her to break the connection between them. 

**“Sorry** **,”** she apologized through her telepathy and rubbed the side of her face with her hand. Using this ability for a long period of time consumed a lot of her energy. 

“Your voice is just as annoying as I’d imagined,” Damian commented as he stood up from his spot and went to retrieve a shirt from his closet. Raven sat there, her expression dulling as she watched him return. 

“ _Mood killer_ ,” Raven mumbled underneath her breath. Here she thought they would actually share a genuinely heartwarming moment, but no, he had to ruin it. 

“I’m just kidding,” he decided to assure her once he noticed her annoyance. This clarification gave Raven a more hopeful look. 

If he was being honest with himself, he actually liked her voice. It wasn’t as loud and assertive as he had expected from her appearance. It was instead soft and soothing. He could listen to it for hours on end if it were possible 

Before he could sit back down, the sight of his bedroom door opening caused him to stay in his spot. Dick opened it wide enough to look inside, a relieved sigh escaping his lips when he spotted both of them. 

“Raven, may I have a word?” Dick asked politely. 

She stood up from her spot and glanced back at Damian, noticing his uneasy expression. After seeing this, she lightly placed her hand on his shoulder, using her telepathy to communicate with him yet again. 

**“I won’t tell him what happened.”**

Damian’s eyes slightly widened as he watched her step out of the room with his older brother. 

Once they were alone, Dick let out a sigh. “I want to thank you,” he started, meeting her gaze before he continued. “First off for saving him, and second for sticking up for him in front of the others. I know that took a little courage.” 

Raven’s cheeks flushed at his praise. “Well, that’s what partners do, right?” she nervously responded. 

Dick let his lips curl into a smile. “I’m glad he can trust you. But, I have to ask, what exactly happened?” 

Raven pondered his question for a moment before coming up with an excuse. “He just underestimated this criminal. They got away before we could capture them,” she explained. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. 

“Oh,” Dick said and pressed his lips together. “Well, I’m glad you were there to at least defend him. I guess I’m going to head to bed. Oh, and give Kory my love, please.”

Raven flashed him a fake smile and watched as he turned around and headed the other direction down the hallway. Once he was gone, she decided to step back into Damian’s bedroom to check up on him. 

To her surprise, he was lying down on his bed tucked underneath his covers. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. Raven assumed he had fallen asleep. 

Before she left, she decided to heal his wounds. Carefully, she made her way towards his bed and let a hand hover over his sleeping face. 

“By the powers of Azarath, I beseech you…” she murmured, before adding the rest of the spell, “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.” 

Once she finished, she opened an eye to see that his bruises had faded away completely. His healed face met her satisfaction and she made her way out, making sure that she closed his door all the way before leaving. 

When he couldn’t feel her presence any longer, Damian slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He reached a hand up to feel his face, applying pressure to all the spots that were previously battered and bruised. 

He quickly turned to swing his legs over the edge of his bed and made his way to his window, looking down at the few people walking down the sidewalk below. It was a little difficult to see considering it was night, but the street lamps helped his vision as it illuminated faces and bodies. 

When the backside of Raven finally caught his eye for a brief moment, he widened his eyes when he noticed that she had taken his jacket and was using his hood to hide her face and keep her head dry. 

Even so, a bittersweet smile tugged at his lips. 

  
  



	16. Mending

Days went by after the encounter with Nobody's daughter and Raven didn't hear anything from Damian. No late night drop-by, no snarky text messages, nothing. Even if she sent the first message, no response was returned.

When Christmas came around, however, she did receive a gift from him. Dick and Damian came over to their apartment Christmas evening to drop off gifts after they'd been to their own family gathering.

"It's beautiful!" Kory commented when the glimmer of the ring caught her eyes. She wore a marveled expression as Dick placed it on her pinky finger.

"A beautiful ring for a beautiful girl," Dick replied before planting a kiss on the girl's cheek. "On Earth, we consider this a promise."

Raven exchanged wrapped boxes with Damian while the other two were focused on each other. She watched as Damian curiously opened his box, his eyebrows lifting when he removed the lid.

"These are expensive," he pointed out as he lifted one of the art brushes. The expensive brand name carved into the wooden handle was unmistakable.

Raven waited until she had his attention again before signing. " _I got a job over the break_."

 _Not that you would know,_ she thought to herself.

"A pity for the company," Damian commented, causing Raven to playfully glare at him. Despite the cocky attitude, she could sense that he wasn't happy.

He crossed his arms over his chest after putting his gift to the side, waiting for her to open hers.

Raven slowly peeled the wrapping paper from the box and lifted the lid, her head cocked sideways as she peeked at the gifts. Inside the box was a hoodie, knee-socks, and a box of high-quality Bluetooth earbuds.

"Fishnets and sheer tights don't usually keep you warm," Damian commented when he noticed her confused expression. "And, considering you stole my jacket, I decided to get you your own. The earbuds are just a nice gesture and I know you enjoy music."

Raven's face flushed at the realization. She had completely forgotten. Swiftly, she stood up from her seat and left to retrieve his jacket.

However, when she came back, both boys were gone. Raven stood at the empty couch, the soft red hoodie in her arms.

* * *

Raven hadn't heard from him since Christmas. Now, it was New Year's Eve, and she had of course sent him a text after midnight, as most friends do. To her surprise, Damian had responded.

_[Happy New Year.]_

Her eyes lit up with delight at the notification. Eagerly, she typed a response.

_[You never got your jacket the other day. I'm sorry I took it, I only did because it was raining.]_

After hitting send, she laid her phone on the nightstand, anticipating his response. Outside her window were bursts of color and loud explosions.

Minutes quickly turned into hours and he never replied. Raven finally gave up and let out a sigh, her eyes fixed on the jacket lying on the bed next to her. The faint smell of his cologne was still noticeable.

She hesitantly pulled the clump of fabric to her body, a sad smile on her lips as she closed her eyes and slipped into slumber.

* * *

The next day, Raven woke up annoyed.

She was annoyed that he wouldn't talk to her, but also mad at herself. _Why hadn't she checked up on him before he started growing distant?_ she wondered.

But, at the same time, if he wanted to talk to her, he would. Simple as that.

A groan escaped from her lips as she sprawled out on her bed. This boy was consuming her life.

After swallowing her pride, Raven decided to text him again.

_[Are you okay?]_

The statement wasn't complicated, she just wanted him to know that she cared. Sure, she would never truly understand how deep his pain goes, but, she could at least be there for him.

After sending the message, she got up and went to work.

* * *

Damian hadn't eaten in days. Not because he was trying to lose weight, but because he simply didn't feel hungry. Along with his change in appetite, his sleep schedule was way off. Almost every day he would sleep for excessive periods of time.

All he could feel was guilt. For his family, for Raven, and especially for Nobody's daughter. It was eating at him like a parasite.

Dick had grown extremely concerned for his younger brother, but couldn't speak to him. He tried, every single day, but Damian would push him away.

Damian didn't desire social interactions with anyone. All he wanted was to be alone, so he could let his self-destructive thoughts exhaust him. He deserved it, after all.

Or at least, that's what _he_ thought.

As he laid in his bed, he sluggishly eyed the message from Raven before placing his phone on his chest, running the other hand through his messy hair.

* * *

As Raven patrolled the dark city of Jump City, the familiar sight of a girl caught her eye.

"What's up, Rae?" Beast Boy questioned.

They had since then made up after the rude remark Beast Boy made days ago. He was still her friend, nonetheless.

"I know her," Raven responded and gestured towards the girl below. Her back was resting against the brick wall in an alley, a glowing light reflecting on her dark face from the device in her hands. Raven's eyes lit up.

Beast Boy watched in confusion as Raven landed on the rooftop, climbing down the fire escape of the building so that she could reach the girl. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to speak to her," Raven informed and met his gaze. "You can just... stand there."

"Sounds good to me," Beast Boy responded and followed her down the alley.

The girl turned her head at the sound of footsteps and quickly went to grab her mask, but stopped when Raven spoke.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

Raven stopped in front of her, a reassuring expression on her face.

"You're not?" she questioned. "But, after what I did to Robin-"

"I don't hold grudges," Raven mentioned and squatted down to look at her face to face. "But, why are you down here?"

"Wait, a girl did that to his face?" Beast Boy questioned in astonishment. "Dude, you're-"

"Shut up," Raven ordered, cutting him off.

The girl's eyes lowered as she pulled her hand back from the mask. "I don't have anywhere to go," she confessed.

Raven's eyes widened. "You're living on the streets?"

The girl meekly nodded. "My only goal was to kill him. Now, I... I don't know what to do with myself."

Raven looked over at Beast Boy before returning her focus to the girl. A smile made its way to her lips. "I know where you can stay," she said.

The girl looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Thanks, but... I don't know."

"You can't turn down Titans Tower," Beast Boy said, placing his hands on his hips. "There's a lot of cool teens there. You'd fit right in."

"I'm not exactly... the hero type," the girl responded and scratched the back of her neck nervously.

"You can change that," Beast Boy assured her. "That is, if you want to."

The girl sat there for a moment, pondering over the offer. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up.

"Okay, I'm in," she decided.

"Sweet, now we got _four_ badass girls," Beast Boy commented and offered her a hand. "What's your name? I'm Garfield-"

"Oh my God," Raven groaned and looked at her. "Just try to ignore him as much as possible."

" _Hey_!" Beast Boy objected.

The girl let out a laugh at Raven's comment after getting to her feet with Beast Boy's help. "I'm Maya," she informed and flashed them a smile.

"Welcome to the Teen Titans, Maya."


	17. New Beginnings

After winter break, a new semester of school began. That meant new classes, new assignments, and new faces. 

Raven was honestly surprised when she saw Damian first thing in the morning. They were the only ones inside the cold gymnasium. It was fifteen minutes before class started, and Damian was sitting on the bleachers, already dressed in his uniform. His attention was fixed on the phone in his hands. 

In a rushing manner, Raven went to the girls locker room to change into her uniform, hoping that she was unnoticed by him. 

When she was finished changing and successfully tied her hair up into a ponytail, she packed her bags up and placed them into her assigned locker. A few girls started to come inside as well and did the same while she was leaving. 

There were few students in the gymnasium, all either stretching or chatting with friends. Raven met Damian’s stare and she flashed him a quick smile while waving her hand. 

Damian’s cheeks turned a shade of crimson before he averted his gaze from her. Raven raised an eyebrow at the response before getting startled by the coach blowing his whistle. Once he had everyone’s attention, he lined them up and began calling out names. 

“Suren Darga,” the coach called. Raven pressed her lips together at the name. That wouldn’t be good. 

“Present,” the said boy called back. 

The coach seemed to write something on his paper before moving on. “Maya Ducard.” 

The girl sprinted from the locker room in a hurry, lining up beside Raven once she made it to the group of kids. 

“Here,” Maya responded shyly, her eyes darting around the large room curiously. When she met Damian’s gaze, his eyes widened. She had her short dark hair pulled back into French braids, and she was wearing their school uniform. She was a student. 

The coach moved on to the other students before coming to Raven’s name. “Rachel Roth.” 

“Here,” Raven called back. 

“Damian Wayne,” the coach called before glancing around the room. When his eyes landed on Damian, he checked his name off and put away the clipboard. 

After calling roll, the coach made the students do warm-ups before starting their first athletic assignment; running the mile. 

Damian hadn’t even made it a full lap around the track before he lost his balance and plummeted into the synthetic rubber beneath him. Angrily, his gaze went up to see that Suren had run into him from behind. 

“Watch where you’re going, imbecile!” Damian shouted. 

Suren raised his eyebrows at the remark before glaring down at the shorter boy. Quickly, he got to his feet and grabbed Damian by the collar of his shirt. 

“Who do you’re calling-“ Suren started as he raised a close fist, but he was cut off as a small hand grabbed him by the shoulder and jerked him backward. Suren didn’t even glance behind him before elbowing them in the face. 

Maya groaned as she reached her hand up to cover her mouth, an annoyed expression making its way to her face when she recognized the metallic taste of blood. He busted her lip. 

“Shit, sorry!” Suren started with a worried look as he placed a hand on her shoulder, “I didn’t know you were a girl-“ 

Maya cut him off by swinging a closed fist across his face. Damian’s eyes remained wide in shock as he watched the scene. 

Students began crowding around the three as it continued. Once Suren decided to leave her alone, Maya extended her hand out towards Damian, offering to help him up. 

Before Damian could take her offer, the female assistant coach grabbed her by the shoulder. Maya looked at him with a nervous expression as she led her off the football field. 

Damian quickly got to his feet and met Raven’s surprised gaze before the coach made everyone continue their laps 

* * *

After gym class came second period, which was different for both Damian and Raven. She had Creative Writing, while he had Advanced Art. 

When that class ended, it was time for lunch. To Raven’s surprise, Maya returned to the cafeteria. Her uniform stood out compared to the rest, as she wore a lot of yellow accessories. Her lower lip was also swollen. 

“What did they give you?” Raven asked once she approached the other girl. 

Maya handed her the paper tucked away in her lunchbox. Raven’s eyes traced over the words before responding. 

“Only a day? That’s not bad,” Raven said and handed her the paper back. 

“What’s the usual punishment?” Maya questioned as she followed Raven to the table where Damian sat. 

“Damian over here got three days for fighting the same boy,” Raven informed her as they sat down. Damian shifted his attention from the sketch he was working on to the two girls across from him. 

Maya eyed the piece of paper underneath his pencil. Her eyes widened in astonishment. “That’s so  _ good _ ,” she commented before snatching the book from his grip and gazing at the very detailed sketch of a dog. She noticed Damian’s confusion and pondered how to talk to him since she didn’t know sign language. 

“Can you tell him I like his art?” Maya whispered to Raven. The question caught her off guard at first, but she complied. 

Raven turned to Damian and used her hands to sign, “ _ She said that she likes your art _ .” 

Damian's expression softened before meeting Maya’s watchful gaze. “Thank you,” he hesitantly responded. 

Raven watched the two, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. 

* * *

When lunch ended, Raven dreaded her next class. Algebra was definitely the worst subject. At least, to her it was. 

Not on it did she hate math, but the teacher didn’t help her cause either. He was so monotone that Raven nearly dozed off while he was speaking, and it was only the first day of class. 

Damian threw a small ball of paper at her, causing her to jolt up before her head hit the desk. Raven shot him a glare before returning the piece of paper in the same manner. 

When that class finally ended, they both went to Theatre Arts. 

Their teacher was  _ very _ enthusiastic. It was impossible to snooze in her class. To start off her class, she made the students gather in a circle and play games so that they could warm up to one another. 

The rest of the class was spent doing these team exercises, until finally the school day was over. Once they were dismissed, Damian went home and Raven went to work, accompanied by Maya. 

* * *

As Damian worked on a sketch in his notebook at his desk, the sight of his phone constantly lighting up caught his attention. 

After putting down the pencil, he got up and retrieved his phone from his bed. His eyes widened as he read the many spam messages from Raven. The one that was sent last stood out most. 

_ [Please answer, Robin. We need you. Maya is missing.] _

  
  



	18. Peace

It didn't take long after receiving Raven's message of distress for Robin to appear at the fabled Titans Tower. Once he arrived, many of the young superheroes were amazed at the sight.

Robin knew all of them, he'd done his research on each individual out of curiosity. He was his fathers son, after all. There was Raven, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, Wondergirl, and Superboy. Nightwing and Starfire usually led the team, but they appeared to be absent from the tower, which Robin assumed is why he was called to the scene.

"That's really the Son of _Batman_?" Beast Boy whispered to Raven.

Raven glared at him. "Yes, now can we focus on the topic at hand?" she asked before smacking him on the back of his head.

" _Ow_! Okay, okay," Beast Boy groaned and remained quiet as Raven pulled a screen up in the large monitor.

Robin gazed you at the bright screen, his eyes darting around as he analyzed it. "Where did you find this?"

Raven raised her hands up to sign. " _Her laptop_."

Robin nodded and grabbed the mouse from her, navigating through the sea of messages displayed before him.

_Nobody: Online   
_ _ Backlog transmission: _

_[I couldn't help but see that the fabled Nobody has returned to the spotlight. We should sync up sometime, one assassin to the other.]_

_[I closed the lead on our target. The window is closing soon.]_

_[Ducard? Morgan? Your trails have gone cold and you missed our supply drop. Don't leave me hanging here.]_

_[Nobody, do not make me come find you. This is your last chance if we want to get paid.]_

_[I quit.]_

_[You've made a big mistake. Don't worry, I'll come to you so I can tie our loose ends.]_

The messages were sprawled out timestamp wise, some sent a month ago while the last sent this afternoon. Robin turned to Raven once he was finished reading. "It's Deathstroke," he stated.

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "How-" she started, but he interrupted her off once he noticed her suspicion.

"I recognize his lexicon. He believes Maya is her father, the original Nobody, and is set after her. She left here to stray him away from your team. I'll go after her."

The team all exchanged glances before focusing back on him. Raven swiftly stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from leaving. While she had his attention, she raised both of her hands up to sign.

" _We'll go too_."

Robin gave her a firm look. "I told you I don't work well with teams," he reminded her in a lower tone, but not quiet enough to pass by the others.

Raven nervously glanced back at the other young heroes before turning her head to meet his gaze again. "It will be fine," she signed and gave him a reassuring smile.

Robin quickly turned his face away to hide his blush. "Fine," he said before leading the others towards where he assumed Deathstroke had Nobody; Gotham Harbor.

* * *

Nobody panicked as she dodged an attack from the older menace. 

"I can see you!" Deathstroke shouted as he threw sand on the invisible girl, causing her suit to glitch out as he raised a boot up to kick her to the dock. "Didn't I warn you not to make me come looking for you?"

Nobody groaned as she tried to get back to her feet, but she was defenseless as Deathstroke grabbed her by the chest plate of her suit and held her off the ground. Her mask had fallen to the floor and she could see Deathstroke's eye go wide underneath his mask.

"You're not Morgan Ducard," he spoke and cocked his head sideways, "You're just some kid. Ha!"

Deathstroke threw her inside the door of the submarine she had been trying to get to. One they were inside he aimed the machine gun he possessed towards her head. "No one would miss a nobody like you. Sorry kid, but you owe me."

Before his finger could pull the trigger back, glass above her shattered and Nobody watched as a caped boy flew inside and landed on top of Deathstroke, jerking him backward. Raven followed behind, while the others stayed on the dock due to the lack of space inside the submarine.

"Ah, the latest boy wonder makes a reappearance. A shame, really," Deathstroke said before dodging one of Robin's blows, "Without Batman, you're just a kid who jumped in too deep. You can't dodge the reaper, can you?"

"How much does she owe you?" Robin questioned as Deathstroke slammed him on his back, blood oozing from his nostril. Robin reached a hand into his belt and pulled out a device.

Deathstroke glared down at him. "Too much for me to let go," he started, then widened his eye at the screen in delight. "Actually, five-million works."

The two of them briefly exchanged their money transaction and Deathstroke called it even.

"Before I go, young lady, take some advice," Deathstroke said towards Maya as he climbed the ladder. "Even the score with whoever killed your father. A job is a job, but blood is blood."

Once he left, Maya glanced at Robin shamefully. However, his focus was on the cork board at the corner of the ship. On this board was all the research Maya had done on Robin, so that she could kill him.

"You're not a bad detective," he commented and glanced back at her, an amused expression on his face. His face dulled when he met her gaze.

"Let's go," Raven decided to say and gestured with her hands for both of the teens to follow her back outside.

Robin climbed up close behind her and offered Maya a hand once he was at the top. The three of them climbed back to the dock and met up with the rest of the team.

"That was fast," Blue Beetle said.

"He just wanted money," Raven informed him.

"I'm sorry," Maya suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on the ground. "I didn't want him to track me at the tower, so I left. You guys gave me a home, so I wouldn't have forgave myself if he destroyed it coming after me."

"Hey, don't sweat it chica," Beast Boy said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're one of us now. We're just glad you're okay. We know you meant no harm."

Maya smiled at him and glanced at Wonder Girl as she patted her on the back, flashing her a smile in return.

When the team decided to head out, Maya glanced back at Robin who stayed behind. In his hands were her mask.

"Here," he said as he handed her the piece of plastic.

Maya took it and gazed down at it, letting out a long sigh. Robin raised an eyebrow at this, but was surprised when she pulled a small piece of plastic from her suit. She handed it to him, a sorrowful look on her face.

Robin stared down at the familiar piece, immediately recognizing his bloody emblem from his former suit.

"This R stands for ruin," he quietly commented and raised it up to hand it back to her, but stopped when he noticed her watery eyes.

She shook her head in response and wrapped her small arms around him, squeezing him tightly as she did so.

Raven watched the scene from afar, a delightful look in her eyes as the feeling of massive weight on her shoulders was lifted.

Maya didn't need to talk to him to let him know she had forgiven him for what he did to her father. All she needed were two arms and a body to hold.

They stayed like this for a while, comfortably silent as they stood under the dark blue sky and thousands of twinkling stars.

* * *

The next day, Damian awoke to an envelope at his doorstep, addressed to him. Inside contained a handwritten letter. 

_The R on your chest doesn't stand for Ruin. It stands for Redemption. As I watched you closely from the shadows, I came to realize what type of person you really were; a boy with a good heart. In all honesty, I couldn't have gone through with killing you. I will never forget what you did to my father. But, I know that forgiving you is the right decision. My mother used to always say: "Forgiving isn't forgetting, it's giving the other person the freedom to make new choices," and I think she's right. So, I want you to know that you are forgiven, Damian Wayne, and you've gained a sister._

_Yours truly,_

_Maya Ducard_

The blue ink smeared as a wet tear fell onto the paper.

Now, his mind could finally try to find peace guilt-free.


	19. Confidence

Days passed after Maya returned to the Teen Titans and school practically began to fly by again. Maya had even picked up sign language lessons after school, which Damian liked. Communicating with her was rather difficult through goofy facial expressions and hand gestures that made no sense to him.

Raven, however, was not too joyful during this time. Her grades were looking dreadful.

"Looks like you need a tutor, Miss Roth," Damian said as he held back a laugh.

Raven gave him a glare as she snatched back her graded test from his hands. Once she crammed the test down in her bookbag, she propped her elbows on the table and held her chin up with her hands.

"I was never good at math," Maya commented and gave Raven a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just try to study."

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to if I want to pass," Raven said and sighed, closing her eyes.

"So what's this 'prom' thing everyone's talking about?" Maya questioned as she lifted up a flyer from the floor.

Raven opened her eyes to glance at what she was referring to. Damian glanced at the paper and gave an unamused look.

"It's a formal school dance," Raven informed her and began to read over the words on the paper. "I've never been to one, but in movies and stuff, they go all out for it. Wearing expressive dresses, renting limousines, and eating out at a fancy place."

"Sounds kinda lame," Maya commented and put the flyer down. "But I'm down for the food."

Raven shrugged her shoulders. The thought of prom had never even occurred to her.

After the bell rang, the three of them departed. Maya went to her separate class while Damian and Raven attended Theatre Arts.

Raven tried to concentrate on the teacher's lecture, but all she could do was think of the next class. She dreaded giving a presentation. Raven had never had to speak in front of a group of people before, so she couldn't help but feel nervous.

She hated math, with every fiber of her being. So, the fact that her teacher had assigned the class a paper on 'why math is important', well, it grated on her nerves. But, she still wrote it. She needed a good grade for once.

Raven wasted most of the class period feeling nervous, and almost immediately the class started.

"Miss Roth, if you will," the teacher spoke as his eyes landed on her.

Raven gulped before slowly rising up out of her chair, causing it to squeal as it slid across the hard floor. Once she was up, she made her way to the front of the classroom and faced the crowd of students.

After clearing her throat, she raised her paper up to her face to read in front of the class. The sheet of paper trembled slightly in her hands as she spoke, and her voice was barely audible. Even then, she continued her presentation.

While she read, she tried her best to avert her focus from the students. However, the feeling of someone staring at her began to gain her attention.

As soon as her eyes left the final words written on her paper, she met a set of emerald eyes in a piercing gaze. Raven's face immediately flushed in embarrassment.

"Thank you," the teacher said when she concluded her presentation. Raven gave him a small nod and quickly made her way back to her assigned seat, avoiding making eye contact with anyone.

Once she was safe in her seat and another student was called up there, she let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't too bad, she thought.

"Why are you so nervous?" Damian whispered to her. Raven met his gaze shamefully. He must've noticed her poor posture, she realized.

" _I've never had to do that before,_ " she signed.

Before Damian could speak again, the teacher tapped him on the shoulder from behind, indicating that he wanted Damian to present next. Damian hesitantly stood up and strode to the front of the classroom, holding his paper in front of him as he read over the words he had written.

As Raven watched him present his paper flawlessly, she couldn't help but feel envious. _How was a deaf kid more elegant with speaking than she was?_

Once Damian finished his presentation, the teacher nodded to him, gesturing for him to return to his seat.

Damian noticed her stare and turned his head to meet her gaze while another student got up to present. "What's that face for?" he whispered, raising an eyebrow.

Raven quickly averted her gaze when she realized she was gawking at him, ignoring his question as she pretended to listen to the presenter.

The two of them were quiet for the remainder of the class period before the bell finally rang.

As Raven made her way down the sidewalk towards her apartment, a finger tapped on her shoulder, causing her to come to a stop and turn her head. The sight of Damian puzzled her.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "I have a question."

Raven adjusted her book bag strap and raised her head up. Her eyes intently watched him, waiting for his question.

When he realized he had her attention, Damian reached into his jacket pocket and displayed a strip of paper to her. "There's a grand opening for a new aquarium in the city, and I was wondering if you would like to accompany me."

Raven was genuinely taken back by his bold offer. _He actually wanted to hang out with her? Alone? For fun?_

He noticed her confusion and let out a short nervous laugh. "Sorry, I didn't realize how ridiculous it sounded."

She quickly shook her head and grabbed the ticket from him before signing, " _I don't mind_."

His expression softened. "Very well then. I'll be at your apartment around six, so be ready."

With that, Damian turned on his heels to journey to his house in the opposite direction of her. Raven glanced down at the ticket in her hand, a small smile tugging at her lips before continuing to walk.

* * *

"How does this look?"

Raven's words made Kory glance up from her cell phone with an amused expression. "It looks beautiful. What's the occasion?"

"I'm going to the new aquarium they opened in Jump City," she answered, leaving out a few details to shield herself from embarrassment.

Kory raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Like always, she could see right through Raven. "Are you going with anyone?"

Raven smiled nervously before responding. "Damian."

"Oh?" Kory said as she placed her phone down. "It seems you two are getting along much better than before."

"I guess you could say that," Raven replied before glancing up at the clock. Damian would be here in ten minutes. "He'll be here soon. I'm going to go grab my things."

After returning to her room, Raven decided to spray perfume on herself and brush her hair out. As she admired herself in the mirror, she felt strange. This was the first time she cared about her appearance.

The sound of knocking pulled her out of her thoughts and she quickly grabbed her crossbody purse before heading towards the front door.

"I'll see you later, Kory!"

Kory turned her head to flash Raven a smile. "Be safe," she said as she watched the other girl open the door.

Upon stepping outside, Damian's eyes couldn't help but wander over Raven's appearance. She was wearing a skintight black turtleneck and a grey plaid skirt over it, which stopped right in the middle of her thighs. The black knee socks he'd gifted her were wrapped around her pale legs, and on her feet were a simple pair of black tennis shoes.

His eyebrows raised the slightest when he noticed her newly polished fingernails, a small detail that surprised him. _Had she done that to impress him?_

When she caught his stare, Damian quickly looked up to hide the blush spreading across his cheeks. "Are you ready?"

Raven nodded and gently closed the door behind her before walking down the steps of her front door. Once she was beside him, Damian led her down the sidewalk in the direction of the nearest train station.


	20. New Feelings

After Damian purchased two train tickets, he and Raven found two empty seats to occupy. Their destination was across the city, so walking wasn't the best option.

The two of them were quiet as the train took off. Raven neatly placed her hands in her lap and snuck a glance over at Damian, taking in his appearance. He wore a red shirt with a pulled black jacket over it, and dark jeans. On his feet were matching red converse. Compared to him, Raven felt overdressed.

Damian must have felt her gawking at him because he curiously turned his head to look at her. Raven let out a nervous laugh when she caught his stare.

" _I think I am overdressed_ ," she signed when she noticed his confusion.

"Or perhaps I am underdressed," Damian retorted before glancing out the window. "You should be more confident in yourself. Your attire is perfectly fine."

Raven raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. _Was that a compliment?_

As the train rolled down the railroad, Raven leaned her head gently against the window, watching as the sun climbed the empty sky.

It took them about half an hour to reach the aquarium. Once the train came to a stop, the two of them got off and headed for the entrance.

As they stood in line, Raven took in the scenery around them. Damian snuck a glance at her, an amused expression on his face as she gazed out at the sea in the distance.

The aquarium was exceptionally airy inside. Both sides of the walls were made of glass, exposing the many varieties of sea animals.

Raven followed Damian's lead, stopping at whichever exhibit interested him. While he read the information engraved in the plagues underneath the display glass, Raven watched the animals curiously.

Animals usually didn't interest her, but she could tell Damian enjoyed learning about them. So, she at least tried to seem intrigued.

While Damian read, one of the tourists came by with a group of people to introduce the animals.

" _Not only are seahorses mates for life, but the male is the one who gives birth to their offspring._ "

Raven raised an eyebrow at the statement before noticing Damian's equally surprised expression. He must've read what the tourist had informed, she assumed. They both shared a short laugh before moving to the next sight.

So far, they'd seen seahorses, turtles, jellyfish, and sharks. To Raven's dismay, she was actually getting interested in the animals of the sea.

"These are my favorite," Damian suddenly spoke as they made their way to the dolphins. Raven cocked her head sideways, and Damian explained more. "Research shows that they are second to humans in intelligence."

Raven gazed out at the large group of mammals, watching as they swam around in their tank.

After leaving the dolphin exhibit, they were amazed when they were met with a hallway made of glass, exposing a vast selection of colorful fish swimming freely above them. Both of them let their eyes wander above them at the sight as they walked down the hallway.

"What's your favorite?" Damian decided to ask, his hands tucked away in his pockets as he glanced at her.

Raven pondered the question for a moment before signing, " _Jellyfish_."

"Is there a reasoning behind it?" he asked another question.

" _They're pretty,_ " Raven signed, before adding, " _And deadly._ "

Damian's eyebrows raised at the last remark before scoffing. "Are you hungry?"

Raven silently nodded, and Damian led her towards the exit. Once they left, he led her down the sidewalk, where he found the closest restaurant. It looked to be a rather traditional setting, as there was outdoor seating and lights hanging from the awning.

"Is this okay?" he decided to ask, stopping in front of the door.

" _I have never eaten here before,_ " Raven signed.

"Me either," he confessed, before opening the door for her. "First time for everything, I guess."

Raven stepped through the door and waited in the front area for them to be seated by the hostess.

"Two?" a cheery girl asked as she grabbed two menus from the stack.

"Yes," Damian answered before Raven could speak. He read her lips, she assumed.

The hostess eagerly sat them outside on the patio and handed them their menus after taking their drink orders. Once she wrote the drinks down on her notepad, she left them alone.

Raven looked at Damian curiously as he read over the menu. He seemed to be truly deep in thought.

After a moment, he closed his menu and caught her gaze. "Do you know what you want?"

Raven pointed out the Philly Steak and Cheese to him from the pamphlet. He nodded before setting the menus to the side.

Once their waitress came by with their drinks and took their order, Raven was surprised when Damian only ordered a bowl of pasta and a side salad.

"What?" Damian questioned when she gave him a funny look. Raven just quickly shrugged it off. "Is there something wrong?"

Raven hesitantly raised her hands up to sign. " _I just expected you to order something different._ "

"Like what?" he asked, laying his chin in his hand as his elbow was propped on the table.

" _Like steak or something,_ " she signed.

Damian scoffed playfully. "I don't eat meat," he informed her.

Raven slowly nodded her head when he answered, a surprised expression on her face. _Well, there was a new detail about him._

"I don't care if you eat it in front of me, if that's what you're thinking," Damian replied. "It's just a personal choice."

" _Garfield is also vegetarian_ ," Raven decided to sign, trying to make conversation.

"I can understand why," Damian said before sighing. "Speaking of your... friends, do they hate you for patrolling with me?"

Raven shook her head and signed, " _They're okay with you._ "

"Hm," Damian hummed as he thought about the subject. "They seem to be an efficient team."

Raven nodded in agreement before taking a sip of her water. Honestly, she didn't know what else to talk about with him. Her life outside of the Teen Titans was rather bland.

Before either of them could speak, their waitress came by and brought them their orders.

"Thank you," Raven spoke as she was handed her plate of food.

Their waitress flashed them a smile before leaving their ticket on the table and leaving them alone again to eat their meals in silence.

After they finished eating, Damian took the ticket in his hand and approached the cash register. Raven pulled out her wallet and attempted to pay for her half, but Damian wouldn't let her.

"I can feel you glaring at me," Damian spoke as they walked beside each other on the sidewalk. He turned his head to look at her, and wasn't shocked when he was met with her aggravated expression.

Raven just crossed her arms over her chest, not paying him any mind. His lips curled into a smirk at the sight before stopping at the train station.

The two of them boarded the train and found two empty spots. As the train moved, they both reached up and grabbed onto the handrail above their heads.

As Raven watched the scenery pass by, Damian snuck a few glances at her, a faint smile on his lips.

* * *

After getting off the train, Damian walked Raven back to her apartment.

"Thank you for agreeing to spend time with me today," he suddenly spoke up. "I didn't expect you to actually come."

Raven wore a confused expression as she signed, " _Why not?_ "

"Because I'm a jerk to you," he admitted.

Raven shook her head in response, surprising him. " _I had fun. Thank you for inviting me,_ " she signed.

Damian let his lips relax into a smile. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. That is, if you don't skip like the delinquent you are."

Raven narrowed her eyes before playfully punching him in the shoulder. She flashed him a quick smile before stepping into her front door.

Damian's cheeks flushed the slightest at the small display of affection before turning on his heels to head home.

* * *

As she was taking off her shoes, Raven pulled her phone out when it buzzed in her purse. Curiously, she opened it, reading over the text message she'd just received.

_[When I said you should be more confident in yourself earlier, I meant it. It looks good on you when you're fighting crime, but I'd rather see it on the real you too.]_

Raven's felt her stomach flutter after reading his message. A vibrant blush spread on her cheeks as she collapsed onto her bed, hugging her pillow close to her, gently kicking her feet in the air as she smiled down at her phone screen.

"Raven, how was-" Kory began, but stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the girl grinning. The older girl smiled at the sight before walking past her door, leaving her alone.


End file.
